


The Three Guardians

by JacobDMercer



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Horror, Mystery, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-23
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:53:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 37,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26056024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JacobDMercer/pseuds/JacobDMercer
Summary: Big John Gallagher is a kind, and tall, boy with an awful life. He only wants what's best for his friends and family. When he encounters a mysterious cave with two friends, they wake up the day Shiganshina falls with extraordinary abilities. Now it's up to John Gallagher, Decon Ross, and Rex Luke to save humanity, and become their Guardians. Also on Fanfiction.Net
Relationships: Armin Arlert/Annie Leonhart, John Gallagher/Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss, Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Original Male Character(s), Mikasa Ackerman/Eren Yeager
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> DISCLAIMER: ATTACK ON TITAN/SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN BELONGS TO HAJIME ISAYAMA. THIS STORY IS SIMPLY A WORK OF FICTION, DONE BY A FAN.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three young boys discover a cave, and it grants them abilities beyond even the titans, and they are forced to make use of them on possibly the most tragic day in human history.

"So, Eren got into it with his mom again?" 'Big' John Gallagher asked as he and his two friends walked along a field in Wall Maria. John didn't get his name for no reason, because he towered over kids in his age group despite being only ten years old. He tended to wear blue denim jean pants over a pair of pointed boots, and a red button up long sleeve shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow.

"Yeah. He's dead set on joining the Scout Regiment." Responded Decon Ross as with a small laugh. Decon was the second tallest of the trio, although he still didn't come close to Big John. He wore black button up shirt and a pair of black sweatpants and some dress shoes.

"I see, where he's coming from. I mean, I know it's taboo to talk about, but I hate being stuck inside these walls." Rex Luke said with a shake of his head. Rex was a short boy, dressed in a short sleeved shirt with a bandanna around his head, as well as a pair of shorts and sandals.

"Then how about we follow his example?" Big John proposed, gaining weird looks from the two. "We join the Scout Regiment just to see what it's like out there."

"And become a titan's snack? No thanks!" Rex exclaimed, eliciting a laugh from the other two.

"I don't know why you're complaining. Your short height would make you perfect for the ODM Gear." Decon joked. Big John laughed and Rex's face turned red with anger.

"Shut your mouth!" He yelled, rushing at him in attempt to hit him, only to run into John's arm, separating them as Decon stepped away.

"Alright, calm down." He said with a grin and a roll of his eyes, pushing Rex back to the other side of him. "You can't take a joke worth shit, Rex."

"This coming from the guy who can't admit when he's wrong?" Rex remarked.

"How often am I normally right?" John fired back. Rex grumbled in annoyance and chose to walk ahead a little bit, causing the other two to chuckle in amusement. Decon turned back to John.

"So, let's get back on track. Are you serious about joining the Scouts?"

"What? Hell no. I wanna see the outside world and all, but I ain't got the fucking skill to survive out there." John scoffed.

"Dude, you're just saying that because of your height. And besides, that's what the Cadet Corps is for." Decon encouraged. John noticed this.

"Wait, do you wanna join the Scouts?" John asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, actually. You know I'm a thrill-seeker." Decon stated like it was obvious.

"Yeah, Yeah, I know. I might join, but I make no promises." Big John admitted, to which Decon raised an eyebrow

"Don't join just because I am, man." Decon advised.

"Okay, so you're gonna join the Scouts, but you'll shoot me down when I think about it? Besides, when you get excited, your not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed."

"Ah, fuck you." Decon snarked, putting his middle finger on display to John, who simply smirked.

"No thanks."

"Uh, guys?" Rex's voice up ahead caught their attention. And they only just noticed how far ahead he was. "I found a cave!" John and Decon looked at each other with wide-eyes, forgetting their previous argument, before sprinting to join up with him.

Once they stopped next to him, they were shocked to find a large cave entrance. The cave itself didn't seem that large, but it could just be because of the darkness taking up most of the view. "I can't see a thing." Decon commented, squinting his eyes.

Big John put his hands on his hips as he cast out his idea. "How about we head inside?" He proposed.

"I don't know, it's pretty dark." Rex hesitated. John snorted.

"Eyes adjust in darkness." He said, walking in the cave. The other two tried to stop him, to no avail, so they were stuck following him inside.

Once they entered the darkness, they had to cover their eyes as it suddenly seemed to get brighter. Much too fast for their eyes.

"Well, I wasn't expecting this." Big John muttered, looking around

"Dude, is this what the inside of caves normally look like?" Decon asked. Rather than stone and dirt, the entire inside of the cave was a dark purple, almost black, with a shine reminiscent of a diamond.

"Uh, no." John shot down.

"Guys. Feel the cave walls." Rex said, running his hand on the dark surface. They followed his instruction and were shocked to find that the cave felt wet, but when they took their hand off, it was dry as can be.

"That's odd." Decon remarked. "Slick, I get, but wet yet not at the same time? Is this a normal cave?"

Big John ignored the conversation between his buddies as he laid eyes on an odd indent in the cave. The indent was shaped like a square, but it looked almost like a button. Narrowing his eyes, John slowly extended his hand to touch it, but the moment he did, however, he retracted it almost immediately, as the indent seemed to expand along the wall, growing brighter. As it expanded, cracks seemed to form from the inside of the square. Decon and Rex's conversation dropped entirely as their attention was now on this odd phenomenon occurring on the cave walls. The cracks shine a bright vibrant blue, and as the indent stopped expanding, a large circle opened up where the cracks all ended, releasing a wide light that shone on the three boys.

**_"THE GUARDIANS."_** A deep, disembodied voice boomed from the light. Before any of the boys could react, the light glowed much bright, and they dropped to the ground as pain shot through each and every fiber of their being. The last thing any of them heard was each other's screams of agony. 

* * *

Big John's eyes slowly opened as he returned to consciousness. He blinked a few times, before slowly sitting up with a grunt. He looked around, to get a sense of his surroundings, before realizing he was in the tiny room he shared with his little sister, Lucy, in the house his step-father owned. He cracked his neck, allowing a sensation of control to wash over him. He twisted himself out of the bed and allowed his boots to touch the ground.

'Fucking bastard couldn't even try to make me a little comfy.' He thought with anger as he put his hand on his nightstand in an attempt to haul himself up. He found himself on his feet, but was spooked as his hand went through his stand, breaking it to pieces. The one small pair of footsteps signaled that their step-father had left them home alone, as Lucy burst through the door. The young girl was five years old, and she very clearly took after their mother. She was a splitting image of her mother in every way. From her blond hair, to her crimson eyes. The eyes were a trait shared by the siblings, as it was a dominant but extremely rare trait, but that was the only thing shared, as Little Lucy was a small beauty, whereas Big John was a behemoth. The little girl squealed with joy as she ran at John, wrapping her arms around his waist as far as she could in a hug.

"Oh, I was so worried! I thought you weren't gonna wake up! The doctor said you were in awful condition." She exclaimed as she tightened her grip on him. He let out a laugh as he hugged her back.

"Nah. This big son of a bitch is still kicking." He said with a reassuring smile.

She let go of him, and it was then he got a good look at her. He crouched down to her level as he asked her. "Why were you crying so much?"

Her eyes widened. "How do you-?" She sniffled as she attempted to ask the question, before Big John interrupted

"Your face is red, your eyes are bloodshot and they have red rings around them."

Her lip quivered and tears started to fall as she wrapped her arms around his neck in a death grip. "Charles said that he hopes you died, because then it would be one less mouth to feed." She wept, her grip on him tightening.

John sighed. Unlike Lucy, who was shy, John and Charles made their hatred for each other known. "I'm not gonna die Lucy." He assured her as she let go of him. He gave her trembling form a reassuring smile.

Lucy smiled back and wiped away her tears, before asking the oh so obvious question. "So, what happened to our nightstand?" She asked, pointing at the demolished nightstand. John's brow furrowed.

"I don't know. I went to go stand up and the thing collapsed under my hand." He explained. Lucy tilted her head.

"Huh. That's weird. It's always seemed sturdy before." She said before looking up at him with narrowed eyes. "By the way, you cursed."

John rolled his eyes. "Ah, get the fuck in the kitchen." He said with a smile.

Lucy grinned. "That's two." As the two walked to the kitchen, he made his way towards the cabinet to grab a can of food for breakfast. However, when he pulled the cabinet door, he ended up ripping it off it's hinges, eliciting a shocked yelp from Lucy.

"Ah goddammit. I'm tearing everything up today." John said as he tossed the cabinet next to the trash can, before turning back to Lucy. "So what do you want to eat?"

Lucy thought for a moment. "Hmm. How about bacon and eggs?"

John facepalmed. "Probably should've asked before tearing the cabinet door off." He walked over to the refrigerator and went to open, however, he instead tore the handle off. Lucy stared at him as he stood still for a few seconds, staring at the handle in his hand, before dropping it and turning on his heel with a smile. "How about we stop by Eren's and see if we can join them for breakfast."

"Yay!" Lucy yelled in joy as she jumped out of the kitchen chair and ran towards the door. Big John followed her to the door, and was mindful of his strength this time. Taking one last glance back inside his home, he left with one final thought.

'What the hell is going on with me?'

* * *

Eren Yeager sighed as he climbed the steps to the front door of his house, with his best friend Mikasa Ackerman in tow. They had gone out to cut wood, and on the way back, stopped and watched as the Survey Corps returned from an expedition.

"Hey, we're home." He announced as he opened the door leading inside, meeting the smiling faces of his parents, Grisha and Carla Yeager.

"Welcome back, kids!" Carla greeted warmly as they dumped the wood they had cut and shut the door. Mikasa handed her load to Eren and went to wash her hands. Carla approached with a smile on her face as Eren dumped them. "Wow, somebody worked hard to keep us with fuel for the next several days."

"Whatever." Eren muttered as he closed the lid. Out of nowhere Carla pulled on his ear, before letting it go. "What was that for?" He asked, holding his ear.

"Your earlobe's red, which means you have something to hide." Carla commented. "Mikasa helped you again, now didn't she?"

Eren grumbled as he took a seat next to his dad, who was packing up some things. "So where you off to dad? A patient?"

"Yes. Some folks in the interior." Grisha answered. "I should be back in about a week or so." He informed them, closing up his briefcase.

Things were silent for a few moments, before Mikasa popped of with a statement that shocked everybody except Grisha. "So, um, Eren's thinking about joining the Scouts."

Carla stopped what she was doing and immediately turned around to look at Eren and Mikasa with a shocked expression. Eren was also shocked at Mikasa's statement, while Grisha barely reacted. However, Eren's shock quickly turned to anger.

"Way to keep a secret, mouth!" Eren screeched in anger.

"Not this again! Get that ridiculous thought out of your head right this instant young man! No son of mine is going to be fodder! Do I make myself absolutely clear?!" Carla screeched, gripping Eren's shoulders.

"Stop yelling at me!"

"Don't you dare-!"

"It's a nightmare, Eren." Grisha warned, interrupting Carla. "You truly have no idea."

They stared at him in shock for a moment, before Eren spoke up. "Yeah, I get it, okay? But it's gotta be better than this life!" He exclaimed. Grisha listened intently as he spoke. "I know it's ugly out there. I know there's death around every corner. But I can't just give up on it! Cause otherwise this nightmare's never gonna end!" Grisha looked at him for a few moments, before responding.

"I see." He said as he stood up, picking up his briefcase. "Excuse me. I'll be late for the ferry." He said, approaching the door.

Carla chased after him. "Darling, wait! Scold the boy for heaven's sake!" She requested as Grisha opened the door. He turned to look at her as he put on his hat.

"Scold him? Dear, please think this through." He advised. "Mere words won't hold back the boy's curiosity."

"Uh, hope I'm not interrupting anything." A voice spoke up as two familiar kids walked up the steps.

"Big John!" Carla exclaimed as she gave the young boy a hug. "Only ten years old, and your almost as tall as me." She remarked with a smile.

Big John chuckled as they pulled away. "I ain't called 'Big' John for nothing." Carla smiled as she moved to Lucy.

"Hello, Lucy." She greeted with a smile as the young girl stopped next to her.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Yeager! How are you guys?" Lucy asked as a bright smile appeared on her face.

"We're doing fine, sweetheart. Just a little disagreement, that's all." She shrugged off her argument with Grisha and Eren just a minute ago.

"Well, I hope you got things settled." Big John said with a nod.

"We did. Eren's here if you want me to-"

"Actually, Mrs. Yeager," Big John stopped her. "We were wondering if we could join you guys for breakfast."

"Breakfast? John, you do realize it's the middle of the afternoon, right?" Grisha asked him with a furrowed brow.

Big John shook his head. "No, I didn't realize that. I just woke up."

"Well, that is understandable. You boys were found on the edge of the forest." Carla informed. "You've been asleep for three days."

Big John's eyes widened at that. Outside a forest? They dropped in a cave, didn't they? "Really?" He asked.

"Yes. Now, I have a patient I must be getting to." Grisha said, giving Carla a quick kiss. "I'll be back in a week or so."

"See you soon, Darling." Carla smiled as Grisha walked off, before turning to Big John and Lucy. "Now, it's lunch time, but you can still join us if you like."

"Thanks, Mrs. Yeager. That'd be nice." John accepted her offer.

"Then please, come in!" Carla said, gesturing towards the entrance. Big John and Lucy walked into the house, spotting Eren and Mikasa arguing about something.

"I didn't say I wasn't gonna say anything." Mikasa said to Eren.

"I know, but still, you don't have to be such a loud mouth."

"Okay, I don't wanna know." John spoke, catching their attention.

"John!" Mikasa exclaimed, accompanied by one of her rare smiles as she jumped out of her seat and ran at him, catching him in a surprise hug.

John laughed as he returned the hug, but he still noticed something odd. 'Normally she would've crushed me. Her small size hides a lot of strength.' He thought. "What's up, Mikasa?"

"Nothing much. Me and Eren are just having a problem." She spoke in her quiet tone.

"I told her something I thought she'd keep quiet about, and she blabbed about it the first chance she got!" Eren exclaimed in anger.

"What was it?" Lucy asked as she hopped into a chair at the end of the table next to Eren.

"I'll tell you later."

* * *

After having lunch, Big John and Mikasa ended up chasing after Eren while Lucy stayed with Carla. Eren had another Survey Corps disagreement with his mother. Meanwhile, Armin Arlert was being beaten again by the local bullies.

"Where's the sacrilege now, huh?" One of the boys asked as he held Armin against a wall by his shirt. "Or does your philosophy say it's wrong to fight back to?"

Armin simply glared at the boys. "As a matter of fact, it does. I'd rather take a few lumps than brawl like a beast!" He spat, to the anger of the boys.

"Oh, so now I'm a beast?!"

"Take a good hard look at yourself and tell me your not acting like one. You resort to violence because your brain's the size of a walnut!" He spat, causing the three boys to look at him in shock. "So pummel me all you want. I've already won."

"Well you know what? I'm a sore loser!" The leader yelled as he pulled his fist back, ready to punch the poor boy again.

"HEY! LET HIM GO!" A voice called out. The three boys looked in the direction it came from, long enough to see a site that made them piss their pants as Decon and Rex came charging down the allyway.

"Crap! It's two of the brawlers!" The fat bully yelled. "I'm out of here!" He said, taking off in the opposite direction, followed shortly by his buddies.

Rex and Decon slowed to a stop next to Armin, deciding they weren't worth it. "You alright, Armin?" Decon asked as Rex offered a hand to help him up.

Armin was silent for a moment, before standing up himself. "I'm alright. Thanks."

"What was that about?" Rex asked with an eyebrow raised.

"They heard me rattling on about how mankind's future lies beyond the walls." Armin explained. Decon rolled his eyes.

"They hate it when people dream like that." He remarked. "You sure you're alright?"

"Yeah. Where are the others?" Armin asked.

Rex shrugged. "No idea. We've been looking for Big John, though. Have you seen him?"

"Nobody's seen you three since you were found at the edge of that forest a few days ago." Armin explained. Their eyes widened.

"A few days?" Rex asked.

"We just woke up today." Decon informed Armin, before turning to Rex. "Whatever Johnny did in that cave, it must have really did a number on us."

Rex nodded, but Armin was confused. "Cave? What cave? Is something wrong."

Rex and Decon looked at each other for a moment, before turning to Armin. "If we tell you, will you keep it a secret?"

Armin slowly nodded after a few seconds, and Decon sighed as he started explaining. "The day we were found, we found a weird cave, and next thing we know, we're unconcious. Now, I don't know about Johnny, but ever since me and Rex woke up, we've been able to do some pretty freaky things."

"Like what?" Armin asked. All the sudden, Decon disappeared in a blur, and his voice startled Armin from behind.

"I'm stupidly fast, now."

Rex nodded and then held up his hand. His hand took on an orange glow, and followed by his entire body and a rock nearby. "And I can move objects and people, including myself, with my mind." To prove his point, the rock floated up to Armin's hand, while Rex himself levitated for a few seconds, before his hand lost the glow.

Armin was speechless. Two, possibly three of his best friends had super powers. "And I can't tell anyone? Not even Eren and Mikasa?"

"Well, you can tell those two, but that's it." Decon relented.

"So, what are guys gonna do with these powers?" Armin asked.

"I don't know. We don't wanna tell anyone, cause we don't want to be thought of as freaks." Rex explained.

"What about the Scouts?" Armin proposed.

"What do you mean?" Rex asked with a tilt of his head.

"You guys could join the scouts! Keep it a secret, but help immensely!" Armin explained his reasoning. Rex and Decon looked at each other.

"I don't know." Rex wasn't sure about the idea, but Decon seemed to like it.

"It could work. And I planned on joining the Scouts anyway, so..." Decon trailed off.

"Hey!" The familiar voice of Big John caught their attention, as they turned to the end of the allyway to find him approaching with Eren and Mikasa in tow. "What's up?"

"Armin got bullied again." Rex explained. Eren growled.

"Someone needs to teach those idiots a lesson." He remarked.

Decon chuckled. "It's funny. We didn't have to do anything. They saw us and started running." He remarked.

Big John scoffed. "Figures." He turned his attention to Decon and Rex. "Hey, you guys been having any weird shit happen to you lately?"

That caught their attention. "What do you mean?" Rex asked.

John flexed his hand as he spoke. "I'm abnormally strong. I've torn off a cabinet door, a refrigerator handle, and I destroyed my nightstand by using it to try and stand up." He listed off.

"Not to mention that carriage you lifted to test yourself on the way here." Mikasa pointed out.

"So that cave did affect you too." Decon said with a nod of his head.

"What can you guys do?" Big John asked.

"Rex can move things with his mind, and I'm fast." Decon explained.

"I wonder, how did we get these powers in the first place?" Rex asked.

"I don't know. I wonder we're even supposed to have them." Decon said, bringing his hand up to his chin in a thinking pose.

"Do you guys remember anything about the cave?" Eren asked. Big John nodded.

"Yeah. It was... It... That's odd." Big John couldn't figure out for the life of him how to describe it. Apparently, neither could the other two. Eren, Mikasa, and Armin just tilted their heads in confusion.

"What's odd?" Armin asked.

"I remember vividly, what it looks like, but I can't for the life of me, put it into words. It's like something is keeping me from doing it." John explained.

"Same here." Decon spoke up. Rex raised his hand with a nod. John nodded.

"Yeah. Only thing I can really say is before I finally dropped, I someone say 'The Gaurdians'. Anyone know what that means?" He asked. Everyone else was confused, but Armin seemed to know.

"The legend of The Three Guardians!" He exclaimed in shock. Eren gave him a look.

"What?"

"There's this legend about a mysterious cave in a forest. Legend says that the cave holds a being who, when in the presence of three people of the correct age, grants unmeasurable power to them based on their body and personality." He explained. This caused everyone to to think for a second.

"Well, Decon is a thrillseeker." Eren pointed out.

"And I have a bit of a temper." Rex spoke up.

"I'm guessing I got superhuman strength cause of my height." Big John proposed.

"I wonder when we'll get to make use of them." Decon said. Everyone was silent for a few moments, and John happened to look at the top of the wall, where a couple of birds flew. Everything was still, and quiet as he looked up there.

Then it appeared.

A blinding flash of yellow lightning struck just outside the wall, with enough force to cause the ground to shake. Miraculously, the most it affected Big John was causing him to stumble. The others weren't so lucky, as they found themselves flying off the ground and landing hard on their backs.

Eren groaned as he pulled himself off the ground. "What was that?" He asked out loud.

"A lightning bolt." Mikasa answered.

"But since when do they cause mini earthquakes?" Rex asked. Big John ignored the questions, as he noticed people running towards the wall, murmuring and exclaiming about something.

"Hey, Johnny, where are you going?" Decon asked, as Big John ran out of the ally way. Everyone looked at each other in confusion for a moment, before sprinting after him.

"Hey, John, why'd you run off?" Rex asked as the group walked up behind Big John. He noticed his horrified gaze was aimed at something at the top of the wall, and following it, he found his gut doing flips out of fear.

There was a large looming cloud of steam emanating off of something on the other side of the wall, and it didn't take much to figure out what it was, as a large, red, titan hand squeezed the top of the wall.

"I-Impossible! That wall is fifty meters high!" Armin exclaimed in shock and horror as the massive head of the biggest titan mankind has ever seen rose above the wall. The titan didn't have any skin, it was just muscle.

Before anyone else could say anything, it seemed like the bottom of the wall exploded, as the massive titan kicked a hole in the bottom. Massive wind gusts sent some people flying away from the wall, while rocks and debris went flying everywhere, crushing buildings and people alike.

"How the hell...?" Rex muttered with a horrified gaze.

"I-I-It blasted a hole in the wall... like it was kicking a rock!" Armin stuttered. Not long after, the horrifying visage of a fifteen meter titan made itself known and quickly spotted the large amount of people gathered in the front. Almost immediately, everyone started panicking, running the other way in an attempt to escape the beasts making their way into Shiganshina.

"We have to go!" Armin said, backing up in the direction of the crowd.

"No shit! Let's go-!" Rex ordered, but he was interrupted by Decon's shout.

"Eren, John! What the hell are you guys doing?!" He screeched, as he spotted Eren and John walking in the opposite direction.

"My house is in that direction." Eren whispered in horror. "Mom and Lucy's all by themselves." He felt a rough hand grab his shirt, and he found himself gripping onto John's neck piggyback style.

"Keep a tight grip!" Was the only warning he got before John broke into a sprint, faster than he'd ever run before. Taking a gamble, John slightly bent his knees, before pushing off, jumping up and landing onto the roof of a nearby building.

"Eren! Big John!" Mikasa yelled as she lost sight of them. She attempted to run after them, but she got pulled back by Decon.

"They'll be fine! We'll make sure of it!" He assured her. Before she could say anything else, everything turned into a blur as wind hit her face, before she found herself standing next to the inner gate of Wall Maria, with Decon nowhere in sight.

"Time to go Armin!" Rex said as held himself and Armin in his power, and flew them both to the inner gate, before discretely dropping Armin off, and turning in the direction of the Yeager house.

'Our house is fine, our house is fine!" Eren thought desperately as John landed on the ground again and continuing his sprint to the Yeager household. 'We'll turn the corner and it'll be standing there, just like always!' He tried to assure himself as he spotted a mother and her child crying over a crushed corpse. That hope was dashed, however, when they turned the corner and spotted Eren's house, having been crushed under a large boulder, with Lucy making a futile attempt to lift the fallen roof off of Carla.

"MOM!!" Eren cried in horror as John slid to a stop, letting Eren drop off his shoulders.

"You okay Lucy?!" John asked in worry.

"I'M FINE BUT MRS. YEAGER'S STUCK AND I CAN'T GET HER OUT!!!" She screamed as Eren ran to the other side and attempted to lift it.

"Come on, John! Help us, please!" Eren begged as he tried in vain to lift the board. However, he stopped as he heard the stomp of a titan's footsteps approaching. The three of them spotted a titan approaching with a horrifying smile on it's face. He turned his teary-eyed gaze to John. "JOHN!"

John cursed under his breath and he made his way next to Carla and crouched to lift the roof. Carla stopped him before he could, however. "Please, John! Take Lucy and Eren and get out of here! You won't be able to escape with-"

"Shut up! I've had a hell of a day, but I can safely say something good came out of it! We're all living through this day Mrs. Yeager, and that's a promise!" He swore as he crouched down and slipped his hands under the roof. "Eren, Lucy, back up!" He instructed.

"But-!" Eren tried to object, but he was silenced by John's voice.

"NOW!!"

Reluctantly, the two let go, and John immediately lifted the roof with ease. However, he only lifted it enough so that she could crawl out, because he didn't want it to snap and crush her. Carla got over her shock quickly, and was able to crawl most of the way out. However, a crack formed in the roof and it broke, causing the rest of it to fall and crush Carla's leg. John felt his heart stop as he heard her agonized scream and the sickening crack.

"Mom!" Eren yelled as he ran up to her and attempted to pull her out.

"Fuck this!" With those words, John jumped onto the roof, and dug his hands into the boulder. The other three watched, stunned as he proceeded to lift the massive boulder, and with a roar of determination, threw the nine-ton rock at the approaching titan with ease. The titan took the boulder to it's face, knocking it to the ground and immobilizing it for now. John took that time to jump back down, and throw the roof off of Carla.

"Huh. I guess I wasn't needed after all." A familiar voice called out as they turned to see Hannes approaching.

"Thank god." John said, before gesturing to the other two kids there. "Get them out of here! I got Mrs. Yeager!" He instructed. Hannes nodded and scooped up both Eren and Lucy, and took off running towards the inner gate. John crouched down and heaved Carla onto his shoulders, before taking off behind him. He ran for a few minutes, before being stopped by a familiar voice.

"Johnny!" Decon called out, causing John to stop as he seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

"Decon! Is happened? Is everyone alright?" John questioned, worried that something bad had happened.

"Yeah, everyone's fine." Rex said as he landed next to him. "We were just looking for you and Eren."

"Eren and Lucy are being taken by Hannes to the ferry. I'm taking Mrs. Yeager up there now." John informed. A second after the words left his mouth, a loud boom sounded out, signaling an approaching titan.

"Time to go!" Decon yelled as he ran everyone there at super-speed. Once they stopped, John had to take a minute to regain his bearings. He recoiled in disgust as Carla spit of the contents of her stomach all over the ground. Hannes and the children were somehow able to keep their lunch down, which was shocking considering their small stomachs and Hannes' love for booze. 

"I expect an explanation for that." Hannes told the three boys, causing Rex and John to glare at Decon.

John sighed. "We will later." He promised as they ran through the inner gate. "Now's not the time or the place." Once they made it to the ferry, they all parted ways with Hannes. Rex, Decon, and John were surprisingly able to find a private place to talk

"So what do we do?" Rex asked. "We could help evacuate? Take out some titans and find survivors." He proposed.

Big John shook his head. "I don't know. We've only just discovered our abilities today. What if we fuck up on something?" He asked.

"That is true, but we have the power to help people. Shouldn't we use it?" Decon asked.

Big John was silent for a moment, trying to figure out something to say, before he sighed in defeat. "Just give me a second." With that he made his way over to the others, who were all sitting down, trying to calm down. Despite her broken leg, Carla was still trying to comfort Eren and Lucy. It made Big John feel awful for what he was about to do. Walking up to them, he spoke up to get their attention. "Uh, Mrs. Yeager?"

Carla looked at him. "Yes?" Big John gulped and steeled his nerves. This was more terrifying than the titans.

"We'll meet you at the refugee camp." He finally spit out. Carla's brow furrowed.

"What do you mean, meet us? You're coming with us." She spoke with a mixture of confusion, nervousness, and anguish.

"No, we're not. Me, Decon, and Rex can help, so we're going to." Big John explained.

"No!" Lucy exclaimed. "You just woke up today. You can't die on me!" She said has grabbed him in hug, not wanting to let go.

Big John sighed as he hugged her back. "I'm not going to die, Lucy." He assured her "Tell ya what." He said as she let go. He crouched down to her level and took off his red button up, his favorite shirt, leaving him in a plain white short sleeved v-neck. "Hold onto this for me." He said, handing the shirt to Lucy.

Lucy looked back and forth between the shirt and him. "But it's your favorite shirt!" She said in shock.

"That's why I'll be back to get it." Big John said with a reassuring smile. He patted her shoulder and gestured for her to sit back down, while he stood up. She put the shirt on herself, before taking her seat. The shirt was massive and way too big on her, but she found it comfortable.

Carla watched Lucy sit back next to her, allowing her to lay her head in her lap, before the mother turned and looked at Big John one more time, with a couple tears falling down her face. "You better come back, young man. All three of you!" She shouted.

Big John gave a confident smile. "We will." He said, and carefully wrapped his arms around Carla in an embrace, mindful of her injured leg, before making his way over to Decon and Rex.

"So how are we gonna do this?" Rex asked, looking around. "I can't fly us out of here, and John can't jump without revealing himself."

"I can speed us through crowd and back to Shiganshina without anyone noticing, granted I move fast enough." Decon explained.

Big John nodded. "That oughta work. Just warn me before we take off." He said as Decon grabbed his and Rex's arm.

"Heads up." He warned before shooting off in a blur, fast enough that nobody saw them disappear. Within a second, they were back in Shiganshina.

"So, what's the plan?" Decon asked. John looked around, thinking up a plan based on circumstance and conditions.

"Alright," He said, catching the others' attention. "Decon, you run as fast as you can, and scour the city for survivors. Rescue anyone you can, and bring them back here. Rex, your powers are more suited for moving things and helping people, so you fly around and do the same." John instructed the two.

"What about about you?" Rex asked.

"I'll save anybody I come across, but my primary focus is to smash the titans to bits. It should provide relief." John explained his part.

"Alright. Got it." Decon said, with Rex giving a nod of understanding

John nodded. "Alright then. Let's get to work." With those words, Decon shot off in a random direction, and Rex took flight. Once they were gone, John jumped up onto a nearby vantage point, in order to get a better view.

Titans were everywhere, far and wide, of all shapes and sizes. Many were just walking around, but he noticed some odd ones. A few were latched onto a couple buildings, and some even looked like they were relaxing. These were abnormals. Titans who behaved unusually compared to normal Titans.

John spotted a titan approaching him, and huffed. 'Well, let's get started.' With that thought, he launched off. Before the titan could react, he came down feet first into its skull, shooting straight through it's head and knocking it to the ground. After sliding to a stop, John turned on his heel and ran at the titan as it sat up. Spotting an opening, he jumped, landing on the nape. He dug his fingers into it, and clawed it out, effectively killing it. Immediately after however, a cannon ball came flying through the titan's head, and it hit John head on, sending him flying into the concrete, with the the round landing on top of him. He groaned as he pushed it off of him, and checked himself. His shirt was slightly torn, but he himself was left without a scratch.

"Huh. Guess I'm a lot tougher too." He thought out loud. Looking behind him, he saw more titans were closing in. Picking up the cannonball, he threw it at one of the titans, hitting it with deadly accuracy, as it went through and destroyed the nape. Looking to his left, a spotted a stone support beam. Hatching an idea, he approached it and ripped it out of the ground. Running towards the titans, with it in hand, he jumped and hit a titan with it, sending it flying, before jumping behind another and hitting it in the nape, effectively killing it. As he landed, a grin made it's way onto his face.

"This is gonna be easier than I thought."

"Gotta run, gotta run, gotta run, gotta run." Decon spoke to himself quickly as he ran at super-speed, looking every which direction for survivors who couldn't get to the inner gate. "There has to be more alive!"

"NO!!" The voice of a woman caught his attention. Skidding to a stop, he turned in the opposite direction and ran around the corner, spotting a woman struggling in the grip of a titan. Running full speed, he was somehow able to swipe the titan's foot out from under it, causing it to fall and loose it's grip on the woman. Reacting quickly, he ran and caught the woman when she got close to the ground, before dropping her off at the ferry. All in less than five seconds. He ran back to Shiganshina to continue his job, spotting a lot more people and saving everyone he came across.

'I guess my speed lets me hit things a lot harder.' He thought as he grabbed two chains and pulled a couple titans to the ground, saving a family who were running. 'I hope the others are having good luck.'

Rex had already lifted an entire roof, saving the occupants who had been inside, without being seen. He would kill the titans, but he didn't know if he could control specific parts of a titan, and he didn't want to cause too much damage trying to kill it. "I can't wait to get some practice in with my powers." He spoke to himself, as he spotted a couple running away from the away from a smaller titan. Extending his mental grip around the titan, he sent it flying away. "I hope Big John can kill a lot of them."

Hearing someone scream in the distance, he flew off.

"Mrs. Yeager?" Lucy quiet voice spoke up, catching the attention of the young woman.

"Yes, sweetheart?" Carla asked, turning her gaze down to the frightened child.

"Do you... do you think Big John will be okay?" Lucy finally asked, sitting up and looking at the mother.

Carla had to admit, she wasn't sure. Sure, she, as well as Eren and Lucy, had all witnessed him hurl a boulder at a titan and effortlessly lift a roof, but that was only one titan, and the boy had only just woken up the this afternoon. His abilities were probably completely new to him. She wasn't sure how he would fare against all those titans, even with Rex and Decon helping him. Still, Carla didn't want to worry the poor girl.

"Sure he will. He's stronger than anyone else." She assured Lucy with a warm smile. Lucy didn't say anything for a moment, but then she asked another question.

"What about Charles?" She asked with slight fear. Carla saw this one coming from a mile away. Because of Charles abusive tendencies, it was understandable for the small child to want to get away from the man.

"I don't know sweetie, but that doesn't matter. You'll never have to worry about him again." She said as she pulled the trembling child closer. Eren, Armin, and Mikasa had already fallen asleep. Carla looked up at the sky as she lost herself in her mind thinking about recent events. In a matter of minutes, she went from being a healthy woman with a fine home and family, to an injured, homeless mother taking care of four extra children. Well, technically three, as Big John had been taking care of Lucy since their mother died.

"Mrs. Yeager?" Carla's gazed turned back down to Lucy, who was looking up at her with a nervous gaze. She avoided Carla's gaze for a moment, before turning to her and asking "Will you be my mommy?" She finally asked. Carla felt her breath hitch as she heard those words. Was this child really asking her to be her mother? Sure, she never knew her mother, as she was too young to remember Helen when she died, but never in a thousand years had Carla ever expected to be asked this question by little Lucy Gallagher. She wanted to say yes, but she didn't want to anger Big John. How would he feel if he came back to Lucy calling her 'Mommy'?

But she didn't want to hurt the girl's feelings either, and make her think that was unwanted. It seemed like she needed a mother in her life, and the closest thing she had was Carla. Grisha wasn't really a problem, as he had always felt that the Gallagher children would be better off with someone more caring, and had even asked Carla if it would be alright with her if they adopted them, to which Carla agreed immediately to the idea. However, they were never able to get proof of Charles abusive behavior for some reason. It was as if fate hated them. But now, they had the chance to keep them away from Charles, and they were going to take it. But still, Now? While Big John was in danger and Grisha was in the interior? In the end, Carla gave the answer she felt was best.

"That's entirely up to you to sweetie. I will be if you want me to be." Carla answered warmly. Lucy glanced at Eren.

"Will Eren be okay with it?" She asked nervously, looking back up at Carla. Carla laughed at her response.

"I'm sure he'll be fine with it. Grisha too." She assured the terrified little girl. Lucy was silent for a moment, before she laid her head down on Carla's lap.

"Thank you, Mommy." She said quietly, before she drifted off back to sleep. Carla felt her heart flutter at the scene.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" The voice of Mr. Arlert asked, drawing Carla's attention to the old man.

"What do you mean?" She asked with a confused tilt of her head.

"What will Johnny think if he comes back to his little sister calling you her mother?" He clarified. "I don't want your friendship with that boy to be ruined over a simple choice. Even if it is the best one."

Carla nodded in understanding. "I did think about that. But the poor girl never even knew her mother, and you know what Charles was like. Besides, the girl just went through hell. If calling me mother makes her happy, then so be it."

"Yeah, I know what the bastard was like. He'd punish that poor girl for something that wasn't her fault, and he used to beat poor Johnny to near death whenever he defended her." Mr. Arlert recalled.

"Exactly. So this is also the perfect chance to get them away from that man, if he's even alive." Carla reasoned.

Mr. Arlert nodded. "If you think that's the best option."

Carla nodded. "I do." 

* * *

"Goddamn!" Big John shouted as he landed on a roof, looking around at the titan numbers. Compared to what they were, they were certainly down, but not nearly as much as he'd hoped. "They just keep coming!" He jumped towards a titan a block away, landing directly on it's nape and launching off again, landing on another titan's head, and causing it to crumple under the impact. He took this chance to drop down, gripping onto it's shoulder blades, before rearing his foot back as far as he could, and swinging it down with unbelievable force. As it's body fell, John jumped off towards a nearby roof. However, he misjudged the distance, and he realized his foot was gonna catch the edge. Pulling his foot up, he ended up bouncing off of his stomach, sending him into a painful roll.

"Ow! Fuck!" He yelled as stopped rolling. He laid on the ground for a few seconds, rethinking his choices, before forcing himself to his feet with an annoyed grunt. "I really hope those to show up soon." He muttered as he looked himself over. His shirt was torn to pieces, partially exposing his muscular frame, and the many tiny cuts and bruises that were healing rapidly. It seemed that while he was a lot tougher than a normal human, whatever got through his skin healed rapidly to compensate for the failure. His pants had holes in the knees, and the ends of the legs were shredded. Once he was sure he could fight again, he approached a roof corner, ready to jump, when he heard something. Loud, thunderous thumps signified the approach of a titan, but these footfalls were much louder than a typical one. They sounded almost purposeful. John looked around for wheat could be making the noise, before his eyes fell on a titan that made his eyes go wide in horror.

A large, bulky fifteen-meter titan stomped into view. It only had sploches of red skin visible, with the rest of it covered by what looked to be grey armor plates. Grey plates made up most of it's face, aside from it's cheekbones. Even it's ears were armored. It had brilliant white hair, and glowing bright blue eyes outlined in a horrifying red, that seemed to glare at everything it looked at. It had armor around every major muscle, effectively making it almost completely armored head to toe.

"What the fuck?" Big John spoke quietly as the large terrifying titan crouched down, putting one foot behind itself as it bent the other knee at a ninety degree angle, and curved it's arms, as if mimicking a running man. John felt his heart drop as he realized what the thing was going to do. "No!"

As if on cue, the armored titan launched off in a sprint, creating shock-waves with each step, as it took off in a charge towards the inner gate. John watched as cannons were fired at the giant seconds later, only for it to power right through the rounds or avoid them completely, as if they were flies trying to stop a boulder. Realizing that nothing normal would be able to stop it, John readied himself to jump, intent on stopping the beast in it's tracks, when a high pitched voice caught his attention.

"Mommy!" Looking down, he spotted a small girl, around Lucy's age, walk out into the raging titan's path. The poor girl wore a purple nightshirt, and had a small brown teddy bear in her hand, dragging on the ground behind her. She had brown hair, and green eyes. Other than the eye color, Big John couldn't get over how much she reminded him of some one.

'The poor girl looks just like Lucy.' He thought as he stared at the poor girl. She was blood-soaked almost from head to toe, with a few clean splotches on her face and neck. She had probably witnessed the death of someone, and in terror, tried to look from he mother. Unfortunately, this vivid distraction is just what the large titan needed, and John watched in horror at what happened next.

"MOMMY!!!" Despite the distance, John could hear those words so clearly and easily, it felt like his ear drums were going to burst. With that final, desperate, terrified cry, John watched in horror as the large titan's foot came down right on top of the poor girl, leaving nothing but a crushed mess of bones and guts on top of a large puddle of blood. John could only stay frozen, staring in horror and shock at his failure to take action. He was so entranced in his horror, he completely forgot about the bulky titan responsible, as it barreled through the inner gate of Wall Maria, effectively destroying any hope of humanity remaining in Wall Maria. John stood frozen for a few minutes, until he was slowly pulled out of his trance as a familiar voice caught his attention.

"JOHNNY!" Decon's voice brought him out of his horrified stupor, and he slowly turned his head in the his direction, spotting both Decon and Rex gazing at him in alarm. "What the hell happened?!"

John slowly pointed at the pile of bones, "There was... Lucy... He crushed..." He couldn't get it out due to his shock, but Rex spoke up.

"Lucy's fine! She got on the ferry with the others, remember?" Rex reminded John. John's mind processed that for a moment, before he shook himself out of his stupor and looked in the direction of the inner gate, to find it destroyed. "Look man, I don't know what happened, but the inner gate is toast." Rex said, looking at the remains of the gate himself.

"There's nothing more we can do here, John." Decon stated solemnly, resting his hand on the his large friend's shoulder. "We have to go." John nodded slowly in agreement, and Rex took that moment to engulf them all in an orange aura, and proceeded to fly them to a secluded spot of the refugee camp, away from prying eyes.

It was on that day, in the year 845, that humanity realized, home, was a pen. Humanity? Cattle.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group finally joins the Cadet Corps, and Big John meets a new friend, while Eren struggles with aptitude.

The Three Guardians: Chapter 2

_In the year 845, two unknown variants appeared, the Armored and Colossal Titans. The Colossal Titan struck down an outer gate of Wall Maria, allowing titans to invade the Shiganshina district. Not long after, The Armored Titan barreled through the inner gate, effectively turning Wall Maria into Titan Land. In an effort to reduce overpopulation and famine, the government enacted a territory recovery plan, forcing anyone of age and condition to enlist in the scouts and and ride out into titan country. Of the 250,000 people who left, less than 200 returned, effectively reducing the entire human population by 20%._

_But not all hope was lost that day. Eyewitnesses, both civilian and military, reported three unknown beings accomplishing miracles. The first was labeled the Orange Flyer, and was seen flying through the air, saving civilians and occasionally fighting titans with an orange force. The second was known as Black Blur, as the being was assumed to be dressed in black and moved so fast that all that could be seen was a speedy blur. He saved, at most, 100 civilians in a span of ten minutes. The third, and most recognized, was the Blue Titan Slayer, who was seen killing titans with sheer strength and force. The three beings, dubbed the Shiganshina Saviors, are still talked about to the present day, often used as a symbol of strength against the titans, and told to young children as a story. The actual existence of the Saviors is a highly debated topic, believed mostly by children and a select few adults. Most agree that they are the best, and most iconic symbol for humanity's strength. Little did any one know, that would not be the last humanity saw of it's loved heroes._

* * *

"Straighten those spines, pissants! The 104th Cadet Corps boot camp starts now!" The boot camp instructor screamed at the group of new recruits. "Allow me to introduce myself! I'm Commandant Kieth Shadis and you will grow to hate me!" He introduced. "Training is going to be a white knuckle ride through hell! If I've done my job, you'll be waking in a cold sweat with memories of this place every night for the rest of your miserable lives! Right now your nothing! Livestock!" As Kieth continued drilling into the cadets, a familiar, now 6'9" boy had thoughts of his own.

'Trust me. Three of us make you look like livestock.' Big John thought as the commandant spotted Armin.

"Hey, Mop Top!" Kieth yelled.

"Sir!" Armin saluted

"What do they call you, maggot?!" The commandant asked as he leaned into to Armin's face.

"Armin Arlert from Shiganshina, sir!" Armin answered quickly. Kieth wasn't impressed.

"Seriously? Why would your parents curse you with such a dumb name?" He asked rhetorically.

"It was my grandfather, sir!" Armin answered.

Kieth leaned in even further. "Cadet Arlert, why are you here?!"

"To help humanity overcome the titans!" Armin answered quickly.

"That is delightful to hear, you'll be a great light snack for them! Row three, about face runt!" Kieth ordered as he gripped Armin's head and forced him to turn around. Big John rolled his eyes at the man's intimidation tactic.

'A rite of passage. Great.' Big John watched as the commandant went from cadet to cadet, skipping a few. He stopped on another familiar face.

"Who're you short stack?!" The man asked as he leaned down into Rex's face.

"Rex Luke of Shiganshina, sir!" Rex answered with a determined gaze.

"Why're you here?!"

"I'm here to annihilate the titans, sir!" Rex answered, without backing down

"Good! You'll be the main course! Row four, about face!" With that, Rex and the rest of the row turned on their heel.

"What do we have over here?!" Kieth stopped at a cadet, whose face reminded John of a horse for some reason.

"Jean Kirschtein of the Trost district!" The horsefaced boy answered.

"And why are you here cadet?!" The man questioned. Jean looked shocked for a moment, before grinning.

"To join the Military Police sir, the best of the best!" He answered. John internally scoffed.

"That's nice. You wanna live in the interior, do ya?"

Jean almost glowed "Yes!" Wrong answer, apparently, as he was immediately met with a headbutt from the commandant. He dropped to the ground immediately.

"No one told you to sit, recruit!" Kieth raged. "If you can't handle this Kirschtein then forget about joining the military police!" He moved to the cadet right next to Jean. "What the hell's wrong with your face, you smiling idiot?!"

"Marco Bott at your service sir, from Jinae, south side of Wall Rose. I aim to join the military police and give life an limb in service of the king!" The optimistic boy answered, the smile never leaving his face.

Surprisingly, Kieth went silent for a moment. "Oh... well then, that makes you an idealistic fool. And a rube. You want the truth?" He asked, stepping closer to Marco, who suddenly looked nervous. "The only use the king has for your life and limbs are as titan fodder!" He then left, leaving the boy with a horrified expression.

It seemed like forever, but the man finally reached John. For the first time, the commandant seemed stunned, as he stood in front of a teen that towered over him. He quickly regained himself and cleared his throat. "I wasn't aware they let titans join a titan killer boot camp!"

To the shock of most of the cadets there, Big John fired back. "I wasn't aware titans got this small, sir!" Collective gasps were heard as Kieth's eyes widened, before he glared at him.

"So, are you a brave smart-ass, or an idiot, cadet?" The man asked as he attempted to intimidate the bulky teen, and failed miserably.

"I'm a smart-ass, but whether I'm an idiot or brave is your pick sir!" Big John fired again.

"So your honest?"

"I personally believe my brutal honesty is one of my best traits, sir!" Big John admitted.

"So if I ask you to point out a flaw that one of your fellow cadets have, would you say it out loud?" Kieth asked.

"That depends on who choose sir!" Some of the other kids started sweating out of nervousness because they thought Kieth was going to choose one of them, but they sighed in relief as Kieth smirked.

"Me and you are gonna get along just fine cadet! Who are you?!"

"Big John Gallagher of Shiganshina sir!" Big John introduced, using his nickname.

"I wanted your name, cadet!" The commandant growled.

"You asked who I was, not for my name, sir!" Big John fired back.

Kieth smirked again. "You're not afraid of me, Cadet Gallagher. I like that. It makes for a good soldier!" Those were the final words to John, before he moved on to the kid next to him. The one with a buzzcut.

"Hey cueball! You're up next." Kieth said, as he stopped in front of him.

"Uh, me? Sir! Connie Springer from Ragako villiage sir!" The boy said, saluting as he did so. However, he got something wrong.

"Gallagher! What is the flaw in Springer's salute?" He asked the enormous teen, causing Connie's eyes to widen in fear. Hopefully he didn't mess up bad.

"He's got it all ass backwards, sir!" Connie's heart stopped as he heard those words. The next thing he knew, he was lifted off the ground with the commandant's hands gripping his head.

"That was the first thing you were taught!" Kieth growled at the poor boy. "That salute represents the resolve in your heart to fight those bent on the systematic destruction of our people! Is your heart on your right side?!"

Everything went deathly quiet in the next few moments as everyone's attention was drawn to a girl who had just taken a surprisingly loud bite out of a potato. Kieth dropped Connie, allowing the poor boy relief for his aching head.

"Hey, you there... what do you think you're doing?" He asked, in a quiet tone. She looked at him for moment, before looking around, as if she hadn't heard him, and taking another obnoxiously loud bite out of her potato.

John noticed Decon next to her, looking at him, and he silently mouthed "Is she fucking stupid?!"

Decon shrugged. "Seems like it!" He mouthed back.

Luckily for them, Kieth's attention was stuck on Potato Girl, as he quickly started screaming in her face. "YOU'RE OFFICIALLY ON MY SHIT LIST!! JUST WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!"

The girl swallowed the piece of potato in her mouth before finally introducing herself, saluting with the potato still in hand. "Sasha Braus from Dauper Villiage at your service, reporting for duty sir!"

"Sasha Brause huh?" Kieth confirmed. "And what is that your clutching in your right hand?"

"A steamed potato! It was just sitting in the mess hall begging to be eaten, sir!" Sasha reason.

'This dumbest fucking bitch I've ever seen.' John thought. It was obvious Kieth still couldn't comprehend why she would eat it at this time. Quite frankly, neither could anyone else.

"The theft, I understand. But here? Why it eat here of all places?" He questioned, trying to understand her reasoning.

"It looked quite delicious, and it was getting cold, so I gave it shelter in my stomach, sir."

Kieth was stupefied. "Why, I can't comprehend. Why would you eat that potato?"

"Are you asking me why people eat potatoes? I'm surprised you don't know sir." Sasha apparently still didn't understand. It somehow managed to get even quieter after that stupid remark. Everyone watched as she broke the potato in half after a few seconds, and offered a piece to the commandant. "Here sir, have half."

Kieth took the piece. "Have half, really?" He asked like it was the nicest thing anyone had done for him. Sasha just gave a stupid smile.

* * *

Turns out that was a bad idea. "Man, I thought Shadis was gonna kill Potato Girl." Connie said as they watched Sasha run.

"I know. One hell of a first day." Eren said as they watched the poor girl run.

"If that's what she got for eating a potato at the wrong time, wonder how bad the rest of boot camp is gonna be." John remarked as he and Decon walked up to them.

"Hey, you're that guy who smart mouthed to the commandant!" Mina exclaimed. John chuckled. That was about the fifth person who had recognized him.

"Yes. I'm the guy who had the brass to talk back." He said with a grin.

"And about the only one dumb enough to do so." Decon snarked, to John's chagrin.

"Hey, your dumber than me!" John shouted in indignation.

Decon laughed as he walked up the steps. "Keep telling yourself that."

"We've all told him that." Eren deadpanned, causing Decon's face to turn as red as a tomato.

"Uh, I haven't." Marco denied.

"Not you guys." Armin clarified. "Everyone we know has."

"Oh."

John noticed Connie glaring at him. "Dude, it's not my fucking fault you messed up the salute."

"You didn't have to say it out loud." Connie grumbled.

"I'm a man of my word, and besides, the commandant knew you goofed it up already, so your head was probably gonna get manhandled anyway." John explained his reasoning. "If you didn't know that, I don't know what to think. Besides, that was hours ago, get the fuck over it."

"Hey, what's that?" Eren asked, noticing the a carriage riding away.

"The dropouts." Mina explained. "They'd prefer to work in the fields."

"But it's only the first day." Connie said.

"Not everyone's suited for the soldier life, man." Decon sighed.

"Yet you still stayed anyway." John joked, earning a laugh from everyone except Decon, who groaned in annoyance.

"So where'd you guys say you were from again?" Marco asked.

John laughed. "Titan Central."

Three sets of eyes widened at his statement. "You mean your from-?!"

"Yeah. Shiganshina."

"That means you guys were-!"

"There that day." Connie said.

"Quiet!" Marco tried to hush him. But Connie ignored him

"The Colossal one? Did you see him?" Connie asked with a surprising smile on his face.

"Yeah. We did." Eren confirmed

* * *

"For the hundredth time, YES! We saw the big son of a bitch!" John screamed in annoyance. He was seriously ready to demolish the table. Gasps resonated at his response.

"Whoa, seriously?" Thomas asked.

"So, exactly how tall was he?" Someone else asked.

"He stuck his head over the outer wall." Eren answered.

"Whoa, wait, I heard he stepped over the wall completely!" Daz exclaimed.

"So did I!" Hannah exclaimed.

"That was the rumor in my village too!" Franze agreed. John snorted.

"Hell no! If he was that big, don't you think he would've knocked down the rest of the walls?" John asked.

"That is true." Thomas conceded.

"Yeah, that would make sense." Connie said.

"So what did it look like?" Mina asked.

"It had the mouth of a corpse." Eren answered.

"And fucking thing looked like it had been skinned alive." John added.

"And the Armored Titan? The one that broke through Wall Maria?" Someone asked. Eren's eyes widened as he looked over at John, who went from unnervingly quiet.

"Yeah." He finally answered. "I had an up close encounter that fucking thing." He growled

"Really?!" Eyes widened and gasps were heard at his admission. "What did it look like?!"

"Thing's armor was made up of grey plates, jutting out of his muscles. Thing didn't have any skin. One armor plate on his chin moved. That's how he opened his mouth." John described.

"How'd it break through the wall?" Connie asked. John scoffed.

"It's armor has exposed spots. Because of that, the thing was able to move faster than any titan you'd ever see."

"If it had weak spots, why wasn't it taken down?" Thomas asked.

"The Garrison soldiers were panicking, they didn't even try to get close. They just kept firing the cannons. Besides, the thing has a plate covering it's nape. You'd have to carve that out before you could kill it."

"How'd you see so much of it?" Someone asked. All the sudden, everything seemed to disappear. And he was back in that moment.

"MOMMY!"

John suddenly started feeling very nauseous, as he leaned his forehead down into his hand, and his breathing noticably picked up. Everyone sweatdropped at this, and Marco decided to intervene.

"Come on, that's enough questions, alright? I'm sure he'd rather not relive everything he went through!" He admondished.

"Sorry." Connie apologized. "We didn't mean to-"

"That ain't the problem." John interrupted. "It's just, what I saw was vivid. It's like seeing something, and being able to recall it in perfect detail years later." He explained.

"But then, why did you go a little nuts?" Thomas asked.

John sighed, and steeled his nerves, before explaining his story. "The bastard had started his charge, and I had a full view of his path from a rooftop." He explained. "Al the sudden, this little girl comes wandering into his path. She couldn't no older than four years old. Brown hair, green eyes, and purple night shirt. She had teddy dragging behind her." Everyone was silent as they listened to him. "Poor girl was covered in blood spatters. Looked like someone had exploded in front of her. And she was crying for her mother."

"No." Mina muttered softly. Many of them had looks of horror and shock, and some of them even had tears welling up in their eyes.

"So, what happened?" Connie finally asked.

"She screamed Mommy with as much volume as her little lungs could give." John gritted his teeth at the memory and closed his eyes. His fist clenched so tight, his knuckles turned white, and everyone became acutely aware of the four grooves his fingers had carved into the table. "Then that big bastard's foot came down right on top of her!" He yelled in anger.

Everyone who had gathered around gasped in horror.

"My god." Mina whispered.

"That's not something that's easy to imagine." Thomas muttered.

"Yeah. It is. Until you see it for yourself." John said. "I decided that day that I was gonna join the Scouts, just to see if I could track that big bastard down."

"Hey, are you crazy or something?" A voice called out from the adjacent table. Everyone's attention turned to Jean, who was leaning on his hand and with a cocky grin. "I mean, it's none of my business, but signing up for reconnaissance sounds like a death sentence."

"Well, I guess we'll find out. Or at least we will." Eren snarked. "You seem content hiding in the interior with the MPs."

"Look I'm just speaking honestly here kid. I think it's loudmouth braggart tough guy wannabe who's pretending he's not as piss scared as the rest of us." Jean spoke back calmly. Big John leaned over to get his attention.

"Did you just call us wannabes?" He asked. Jean rolled his eyes.

"Do you think I was talking about someone else?"

"Nah, I just wanna make sure I heard your horse lips right." Most of the cadets tried to hide their snickers, whereas Eren and Rex laughed out loud. Jean immediately lost his smirk.

"Are you trying to pick a fight?" Jean asked. Big John smirked.

"I thought that's what you were doing."

"We'll let's go then. Makes no difference to me." He said, standing up. The mess hall went deathly silent, and Big John raised an eyebrow.

"Do you know who you're picking a fight with?"

"No, not really." A collective gasp rang out at Jean's words. Big John just grinned.

"Your name's Jean, right?" He asked for clarification. Jean just snorted.

"Yeah."

"Okay." Big John said, turning on his seat, and slowly standing up. Jean's eyes widened as Big John stood to his full height, before he approached, stopping just in front of him. "Hi Jean. I'm Big John." He said with a smirk.

Decon, Rex, Mikasa, and Armin, who sat at a separate table, watched the spectacle. Decon leaned closer.

"This isn't going to end well." He whispered to the other three, who nodded in agreement.

"I'll tell you what," Big John spoke, lightly smacking his jaw. "I'll let you have a freebie, just to be fair." He offered with a grin. 

Jean stood his ground. "Aren't you gonna have your little buddy help you?" He said, gesturing to Eren.

"He doesn't need it but I'll gladly give it anyway." Eren spat as he took a spot next to Big John. Their argument was halted however, as a small blonde girl pushed them apart.

"Please don't fight." She begged, pushing the two apart and looking between them. Whereas Jean kept his gaze on Big John, the giant looked down at the little girl seperating them. She looked up at him, her blue eyes pleading for him to go no further. "Some of us might be working together in the future."

Big John gave another look at Jean, before his glance turned back to the girl. It was an internal struggle for him. He really did not like Jean already, and really wanted to beat him to a pulp with Eren. However, something about the girl in front of him made him feel... calm. Something that was not easy to do when he was in a fighting mood. He gave another look at Jean, who was smirking at him, before gazing around them room. Some of them were wide-eyed, wondering what he would do next, while some simply gave the scene a glance from the corner of their eyes. His gaze landed on the other four across the room, looking at him with confusion, and then moved to Eren, who looked ready to kill the guy. His gaze finally fell back on the blonde, and finally let out a long sigh as he made his decision.

"Fine." He said, resting his on Eren's shoulder, causing the boy to look at him in confusion as well. Big John moved his gaze to Jean, and raised his hand as he spoke. "Sorry about the horse lips remark. Truce?" Jean was silent for a moment, before sighing.

"Yeah, truce. I'm sorry about insults and the name calling." He said, returning the handshake as a sign of peace. With a nod, and one last glance at the blonde, he made his way back to his seat, with Eren in tow. Every thing was dead silent for a moment, before Thomas raised a question.

"Hey, I got a question." He spoke, gaining everyone's attention. "Did you guys see the Shiganshina Saviors?"

"Yeah, what about them?" Mina asked.

"Are they real?" Someone else questioned. Everyone went silent as they waited for the two to answer. Eren shook his head, but Big John had a smile on his face. 

"No, I didn't see them." He answered. Everyone drooped their heads at his answer.

"So, they aren't real?" Daz asked.

Big John shook his head. "Now, I didn't that." He responded, catching everyone's attention. "Just because I didn't see something, doesn't mean they're not real." He explained. "For all I know, one of them could've popped up behind me without my knowledge. But really, the question isn't are they real?"

"It's not?"

"No." Big John shook his head, his smile never leaving his face. "With something like that, the question is, do you think they're real?" Once he finished his sentence, everyone's attention was drawn away as the bell rang, signifying the end of dinner. As everyone gathered their stuff and left, Big John's eyes fell on the blonde from earlier, who was trying to hide some water and bread. With a whistle, he caught her attention, before tossing his bread to her. She gave a look of confusion, and he smiled. "Give Potato Girl my regards." He said as he left, leaving a confused pair of blue eyes staring at him.

* * *

"It's aptitude test time, so listen up!" The distinct voice of Commandant Kieth Shadis informed. "There is no place for you if you cannot perform! Fail, and be shipped to the fields!"

Big John sighed as one of the assistant instructors hooked him up to the aptitude machine. "So, I stay completely stiff and upright, and I pass, right?"

The instructor nodded. "That's right. Through this, we're able to determine if you're capable of operating the ODM Gear." He instructed. "Of course, we're gonna have to lift you a little higher than normal, because of your height."

Big John nodded. "Alright, let's get this thing going." He said as the instructor stood up. His gaze turned to the others as the instructor got ready to test him. Mikasa was stiff as a board, and Connie, Sasha, and Jean were doing decent. Eren, however...

The poor boy was hanging upside down, unable to keep himself upright, as the commandant tore into him. Big John's attention was drawn away from the miserable sight as he felt the belt start to pull him. The rig took a little longer than it should've, but it eventually had him in the air. Once his feet were off the ground, his whole body went stiff. He was able to stay upright for the time he was in the air, but then everything went wrong. Everyone's attention was drawn to Big John as the entire rig he was on collapse. The moment he hit the ground, he immediately jumped out of the way before the rig could land on him. Of course, he could've caught it easy, but that would draw attention, something he really didn't need. So he played acted normal.

"Was that thing fucking thing defective or something?!" He yelled in mock outrage. Kieth approached the assistant instructor with a look of confusion on his face.

"What happened?"

"I-I-I don't know!" The instructor stuttered. "We had him on the rig for a few seconds and then the collapsed!"

The instructor thought for a moment. "Gallagher!" He yelled as Big John got to his feet and dusted himself off.

"Sir?"

"You'll try again tomorrow, under better conditions I assure you. For now, just relax wait until we're done for today."

Nodding, Big John made his way to the back of the crowd, making a quick examination of Eren on the way. As he stood at the back, he was approached by a familiar face.

"Hey, you're Big John, right?" The blonde girl from last night asked, causing Big John to smirk.

"Do you see anyone else as tall as me?" He asked, causing the girl to look down, with a blush of embarrassment on her face.

"Right." She said, before turning to look at him. "Anyway, that girl was grateful for that extra piece of bread you gave her last night."

"Well, she could have told me that herself." Big John remarked. "What's your name?"

"Christa Lenz." The girl answered, offering her hand. Big John smiled.

"John Gallagher." He introduced properly, returning the handshake. Christa's eyes widened at the size of his hand. Compared to her tiny one, his was gargantuan, her hand barely big enough to get a grip of his. She slightly flinched at his grip, and rubbed her hand when he let go out of pain.

"You got quite a grip." She remarked, looking up at him with a small smile. Big John chuckled.

"You have no idea." They stood in silence for a moment, watching as one after another took the aptitude test, before Christa spoke up again.

"So why'd you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Why'd you give me that piece of bread for her?" Christa clarified.

"The poor girl was running all day. Granted it was from her own stupidity, but I didn't think she should have to go without food after running for god knows how long." Big John explained his actions.

"So, you weren't trying to exploit her?" Christa asked.

"Nooooo." Big John gave Christa a weird look.

"You were just trying to be nice?"

"Um, yeah, uh, why are you asking me this?" Christa's gaze moved to the ground in shame.

"Sorry for bothering you." She said, turning and almost walking away, before Big John's hand on her arm stopped her.

"You're not bothering me, I'm just curious. Did you think I was doing it to use her or something?" He asked her. Christa turned to look at him for a moment, before sighing.

"There was a girl last night who caught me giving that girl... what was her name?"

"Sasha, I think."

"Right. There was a girl who caught me giving Sasha the bread and water last night. She told me that it was pointless to be nice. Then she helped Sasha to the cabin because then Sasha would 'owe her'." Christa explained.

"Okay, one, Sasha don't owe her a damn thing. Two, being nice isn't pointless at all." Big John objected. He didn't know who this mystery girl was, but he already didn't like her.

"What makes you say that?"

"Kindness can help you make loyal friends, and keep people on your side, helping you out in the long run. Plus, it can help you find someone in life." Her eyes widened at his description, but he ignored it. "Besides, someone who thinks like that shouldn't can't be completely trusted. Tends to mean they only use people."

"I don't know about that last bit, but I understand what you mean." Christa agreed. "Making friends can help you in life."

"You know, I'm curious about something." Big John said, causing her to look up at him.

"What's that?"

"What regiment do you plan on joining?"

"The Scouts." She said, looking back ahead. Big John's eyes widened at that.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I wanna go out and help people. Help mankind progress against the titans." She answered. "What about you?"

"I'm joining the Scouts, but my reason is a bit more personal." Big John said.

"What do you mean?"

"I watched the Armored Titan break down the inner gate, and something happen that hit close to home. Now I just wanna kill the bastard." Big John explained.

"Oh."

"Lenz!" The commandant's voice cut their conversation short. "You're up!"

Christa's eyes widened as she gulped, nervousness taking over her body. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at it's owner to see him giving her an encouraging smile. "You can do it." Big John said, causing her to smile. "I have faith." Nodding at him, she made her way to the rig, where an assistant instructor was waiting for her. As the assistant instructor hooked the wires to her belt, her gaze fell on Big John, whose smile remained plastered on his face as he gave her an encouraging thumbs up.

Smiling, Christa waited as the second cable was finally attached. Slowly, the crank on the rig was pulled, lifting her into air. She wobbled back and forth at first, almost falling forward, before straightening out, stiffening her muscles, causing her body to rest in place. After a few seconds, she was lowered back to the ground and informed that she had passed. With a joyful smile, she made her way to the back of the crowd once more, where a grinning John was waiting.

"Told ya you could do it." He said, lifting his hand for a high five. She instead rushed forward, wrapping her arms around Big John in a hug, surprising him.

"Thanks for believing in me." She said softly.

"No problem." He said slowly wrapping his arms around her, returning the embrace. When they seperated, he chuckled. "Didn't know we were on hugging terms, yet." He joked.

Christa blushed in embarrassment, but still kept her smile on her face as she averted her gaze down. "It's just, in all my life, no one's ever believed in me or thought much of me. I was bullied a lot by the local kids. But here you are, a random stranger showing faith in me."

"I thought we were more than strangers." Big John joked again with a grin, earning a slap to his gut courtesy of a still redfaced Christa.

"You know what I mean!" Her high pitched voice yelled, earning a laugh from Big John.

"I'm just messing with you." He said, giving her a pat on the back. "You're so easy to tease."

"Jerk." Christa pouted.

"I've been called worse." Big John remarked.

"I'll bet."

"So you can be mean!"

"Uh, well..." Big John laughed her sudden silence.

"Alright, well, if you need to talk to anybody, I'm always here." He told her, earning a joyful smile.

"I'll remember that. Bye." She said as she walked off, leaving Big John to wait for the others.

* * *

"Hey, is it just me, or is Johnny acting a little weird?" Decon asked the others as they walked back to the aptitude rig at dawn.

"What do you mean?" Mikasa asked.

"Johnny's been acting weird ever since last night, after that incident with the blonde and the horseface."

"Now that you mention it, he has been acting odd. When things were about to go down last night, he backed down when that blonde stepped in." Eren remarked.

"I know. He usually never backs down from a fight. The only person who's ever really been able to convince him was Mikasa, and she didn't exactly use a good strategy." Armin pointed out, gesturing to the black haired girl walking next to him.

"He's an underage drinker. And he can never resist a twelve pack of beer." Mikasa pointed out.

"Off topic. The last person who tried to get him to back down from a fight was me, and we all remember how that ended." Decon said, bringing the conversation back to the original topic.

"The barn ended up collapsing on top of you two, and he chased you around the entire farm until Mom got onto him." Eren said.

"Exactly!" Decon pointed out. "Any of us do it, we fail unless we have beer, yet some random stranger does it, and he makes peace with his opponent."

Mikasa shook her head. "I think we're exaggerating a little. He has backed down before, if the situation called for it. He loves fighting, but he's still reasonable. He probably figured that it would've been a bad idea to fight in the mess hall, especially since the commandant would hear it." She reasoned.

"That is true. And despite his love for it, he knows when, and more importantly with him, who to fight. He's not gonna pick a fight with someone who doesn't have it coming, at least not always, because then he'd have to hold back a little more of his strength." Armin pointed out.

"But-"

"Look Decon," Rex interrupted the upcoming rant. "We understand what your saying, but your judging John based on one little unusual incident. Plus, you have to think, why does he enjoy fighting?"

Decon and the others looked at Rex in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Rex sighed. "Look, I ain't wise, and I ain't that smart, but it doesn't take a genius to figure out why he gets such a kick out of fighting. It's those times, when he's fighting someone, is when he gets to let loose a little." He explained.

"That right." Armin nodded. "Your guys' powers have been growing more powerful ever since you got them, and for Big John, that means everything around him gets a lot more fragile."

"But when he's fighting someone, especially the ones who deserve it, he gets to cut loose a little, and show just enough strength without raising suspicions. And in that time of punching and kicking, he gets to drop his worries, and hurt someone without having to worry." Eren continued. Decon sighed in defeat.

"Alright, I get your point, and I guess I am overdoing it some." He conceded, before laughing. "Remember when he first started cage fighting?"

The others smiled at the memory. "Yeah. He came home with blood all forehead and hands, with a huge smile on his face." Armin recalled.

"Carla was in debt, struggling to pay off the property, and suddenly, one day Big John walks in the door with that smile and drops a huge sack full of coins on the table." Mikasa laughed softly at the memory,

"Lucy's rushing around him, asking him he's alright, and we're all looking at him funny, when he looks at Mom and says 'There's the property bill money.'" Eren grinned.

"Mrs. Yeager jumped all over him when she found out what he was doing." Rex said. "I don't think he got any sleep that night." He smirked.

Decon laughed. "I remember when me and Rex came back the next morning to Lucy screaming at him because he ended up plopping on his bed and destroying the bed frame, and he didn't hear a single word cause he was asleep." The all laughed at the memory.

Mikasa sighed as they stopped laughing. "Big John is always so joyful, you'd never realize he lost his parents. It's kinda sad when you realize all he's done for us." She said with a downcast, almost guilty look.

"That is true. I don't think Mom and Lucy would have the house of it weren't for him." Eren admitted.

"He's always looking out for us." Armin said.

"That's because you guys are family." They all jumped as Big John's voice ran through their ears, drawing their attention to the approaching boy behind them. "I ain't got much of that left." They looked at each other as he spaced out for a moment, before he shook himself back to reality. "So what are you all up to anyway?"

"We're gonna try and help Eren practice on the aptitude rig." Armin explained. "He's really determined."

"How am I gonna kill titans if I can't stay up straight?" Eren asked.

"I'm wondering what happened in the first place. It's not really that difficult." Rex said, looking at Eren.

"So says the guy who can move things with his mind." Decon remarked, causing Rex to glare at him.

"I can't really give you any pointers. I'm taking mine tomorrow too." Big John said. Decon nickered.

"How much does someone have to weigh to break those things? I don't even think Charles could've broken it!" He laughed at his friend's expense, until he felt Big John's large hand around the back of his neck.

"Just because you can outrun me doesn't mean you can escape my grip." Big John was deathly quiet as he said that. Decon chuckled nervously.

"Uh, noted." With a growl, Big John roughly let go of him, leaving Decon to rub his aching neck. "Ow."

"I really wanna pass this test. I promised myself that I would kill all the titans. Every last one." Eren muttered as he looked ahead at the rig. He felt Big John's heavy hand patting his back, and turned to look up at his large friend.

"You have a terrifying drive, man. You'll pass that test no problem." He encouraged, causing Eren to smile.

"Thanks, Big John." Eren said as he, Mikasa, and Armin approached the rig. Mikasa hooked the cables onto Eren, while Armin approached the crank handle.

"Okay, just remember the basics and you should be fine. No need to try any fancy maneuvers. Just focus on your balance, then distribute your wight evenly between the belts on your waist and your legs." Mikasa instructed, gesturing between said belts and the cables.

"And loosen up you're stance a little bit. If I could do it I know that you can." Armin added on as words of encouragement.

"It'll almost feel like everything below the waist is heavier than above, if that makes sense." Rex advised.

Eren looked at them with a nervous gaze, terrified to fail, before turning to Armin. "Ok, a loose stance but balanced. Let's give it a shot." With a nod, Armin started twisting the crank. Everyone watched as he was lifted off the ground.

The moment his feet left the ground, Eren tilted back for a moment, before shouting as he felt himself start to fall towards the ground. Luckily for him, a hand caught his jacket. He was pulled back up, and found that Decon had caught him before he could fall. 

"Something's forcing you to move." Decon informed. "Same thing happened to me. Figure out what it is, and you can go against it and balance."

Eren was silent for a moment, his gaze falling on to his belt, before he nodded at Decon. Decon slowly let his grip go, and everyone watched as Eren shifted to the right. Everyone though he was about to take another nose dive, but they soon realized that Eren was staying balanced.

"I-I'm doing it!" Eren shouted, a grin on his face as he stayed crooked, but upright "I'm actually doing it!"

Armin furrowed his brow in confusion. "Yeah, but why are you crooked?"

Big John's brow furrowed. "I think I know why." He said as he walked up to Eren, crouching down enough so that he was eye level with the belt. A look at the right clasp confirmed his suspicions. "The damn thing's broken."

Their eyes widened at his observation. "That explains a lot. I need to get it fixed." Eren remarked. However, he ended up losing his focus, causing him to fall face first towards the ground, busting his head open.

* * *

"That head of yours alright?" Rex asked Eren as the six of them ate at the mess hall.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Just remind me not to lose focus tomorrow."

Armin sighed. "If I had lift you up far enough, you wouldn't have hit your head in the first place." He said, feeling guilty.

Big John shook his head. "Actually, the blame probably falls more on me. If I had waited to point out the belt, Eren wouldn't have lost his focus."

"Why am I going to wear the defective belt tomorrow again?" Eren asked, looking at Big John.

"If you can do it a defective belt, the commandant as has to let you go again, no matter if you succeeded. Imagine how it will look if you can stay still with a broken belt." Big John explained. Decon grinned.

"You'll look awesome!" He said, causing Eren to smile.

"Eren's definitely going to pass tomorrow, but what about Big John?" Mikasa asked.

"Considering he was too heavy for the normal rigs, they are probably bringing out the larger ones." Armin explained. "In case of a weight related failure, they bring out specially built rigs, made to support heavier people. If the student passes on that, they are given a specialized set of ODM Gear made to work just like the orginals, just with thicker ropes."

"So in other words, instead of me preparing for them, they have to prepare for me." Big John simplified. Armin nodded.

"Exactly."

"So what's up with you and the blonde chick?" Decon asked. Everyone's eyes widened at his bluntness, except for Big John, whose face took on a confused look.

"Christa?"

"I think. What's with you two?"

Big John raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Come on, man, not now." Rex said. Decon shook his head.

"No, I wanna know!"

"Wanna know what?" Big John asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Dude, first you back down from a fight for her, and then you act like she's been a friend for a while earlier today. So what's up?"

"Okay, first, it would've been a bad idea to get into a fight last night, and second, she asked me why I gave her some bread for Potato Girl. What the hell is the problem?"

"Dude, you hardly ever back down from a fight for anybody, including us. And considering the scraps you've been in, last night wouldn't have bothered you and you know it." Decon accused.

BIg John gritted his teeth. "Are saying something is happening between us just because I didn't fight some asshole?"

"Not just that man, you gave her your trust surprisingly quick. Even with us, it wasn't that easy."

"I make friends easily. What do you want?"

"Not that easily."

Big John felt like his teeth were gonna crack if he didn't leave the conversation. Either that, or break Decon's neck. "If you don't shut up, I'm gonna-!" Before Big John could finish his threat, Mikasa interrupted before the argument spiraled out of control.

"Please, you two. That's enough." She said, gaining their attention as her stern sister persona came out. "John, calm down. He's only curious because it seems odd, and he does bring up some good points."

"Still don't know when to keep his mouth shut." Big John responded, glaring at the black haired boy. They ignored him, however, as Mikasa turned to Decon, grabbing his attention.

"But it was rude to accuse him like that Decon." She said with a glare as well, causing him to sigh.

"Okay, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have interrogated you like that." He said with a roll of his eyes to Big John, before turning to Mikasa. "Happy?"

Mikasa turned to Big John. "Big John?"

Big John was silent for a moment, before rolling his own eyes. "Whatever." he growled. They ate in silence for moment, before the bell started ringing, signaling curfew.

* * *

The very next day, the argument from the night before was forgotten as Big John and Eren were hooked up to the rigs. As per Big John's advice, Eren kept his defective belt, so that he could prove for sure that he could do it. While Eren was hooked to the normal rig, Big John was hooked to a different one.

The weight difference was seen clearly by size alone, as the rig Big John was using was about a meter bigger, so that the heavier and sturdier rig could support heavier people. The wood beams were painted black, and the metal was gold. The cables were much thicker, although still thin. Big John was being hooked up to his. While he was being prepared, his eyes scanned over the crowd. He spotted Mikasa, who was staring at Eren, Armin, who gave a thumbs up, Rex, who nodded, and Decon, who was grinning.

He also noticed Reiner and Bertholdt, who Eren and Armin had met the other night. Reiner was a tall stocky boy with short blonde hair and yellow eyes. He wasn't as tall as Big John, not even close, but compared to others, he was decently large. Bertholdt was a little bit taller than Reiner, with a lanky frame, sporting longer black hair. Apparently, they had both lived in a mountain village of Wall Maria, and they weren't able to get word when the titans showed up. They are both want to return home, however, Reiner seems to be the one determined to do so, with Bertholdt wanting to join the MP's, valuing his life too much.

Big John's eyes eventually landed on Christa, who was waving at him with a large adorable smile on her face. She was standing next to a much taller, brown haired girl, who instead seem to be glaring at him. This was Ymir, the girl Christa had encountered the first day of training. Despite his warning, Christa ended up somehow befriending the girl. While both Ymir and Big John cared for Christa, they weren't big fans of each other. Big John tried to be friends with her, at Christa's request, but the brown haired girl simply rolled her eyes, saying she wasn't a fan of idiots. Big John had responded in kind, calling her a selfish bitch. Christa was about the only thing that kept him them from arguing the whole trip.

His attention was taken away from them when the assistant instructor informed him of that he was ready to begin. Looking at Eren, he gave a thumbs up, causing the boy to grin and nod in return. Big John slowly felt himself being lifted, and it was a bit faster this time, probably because it was meant for someone of his weight. The moments his feet left the ground, he stiffened himself, staying upright completely with no problems. "So, did I pass?" He asked as Kieth approached him.

The commandant was silent for a few moments, simply looking at him, before slowly nodding. "You did it. But don't take that as a sign to slack off." He said as Big John was lowered to the ground. As he walked back to the crowd, he kept his gaze on Eren the whole time. Eren was tilted right, like the day before, but he was staying balanced.

"Why are you tilted to the left, Yeager?" Kieth asked as he looked at the boy.

"I think my belt's busted, sir." Eren answered, gesturing to the clasp on the right. The commandant had him switch belts with someone else, Thomas Wagner, and he ended up doing it just fine.

"Your equipment was defective." Kieth confirmed as he watched Eren balance himself. Eren was shocked at how easy it was. It felt as if it came naturally to him. "Given a functional piece of gear, you might not be that worthless after all."

Big John quietly scoffed. 'No shit.' He thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay, sorry for the abrupt ending, but I finished it as soon as I woke up because I wanted to move onto Chapter 3. Please leave a kudos and a comment.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> During a game of Truth or Dare around a campfire, Ymir dares Christa to do something she doesn't want to.

It had been a few months since the induction of the 104th Cadets. Right now, they were training their endurance and stamina, by being made to run through a muddy forest on a rainy day, while carrying a heavy pack of gear.

"PICK UP THE PACE YOU LEG HEALED LAGGERS!" The loud voice of Commandant Kieth Shadis shouted at a group of recruits, riding on horse back so that he could keep an eye on them. He noticed Armin lagging behind the rest of the group, struggling to breath. "BOOTS WATERLOGGED, ARLERT?!" He asked as he slowed down next to Armin. "LET'S SEE SOME HUSTLE!" Shadis knew he was doing his best, but it was his job to try and make him move faster. The goal of this exercise was to sprint as much of it as you could.

"Gear too heavy for you, son?" It was a rhetorical question, Armin knew that, so he didn't answer. Obviously Kieth didn't want or didn't expect an answer. "Hell, drop it. Leave it in the mud! The titans will have easier work digesting you without all the excess baggage!" He shouted as he moved ahead to the rest of them.

"Dammit." Armin muttered under his breath as he forced his worn out body to run. His eyes widened as he heard a familiar voice speak up behind him.

"Seriously?" The voice of Reiner Braun spoke up as Armin felt the weight of the pack being lifted off his shoulders. He turned his gaze to spot the blonde running up next to him. "Here, focus on staying upright. We are being graded on this you know."

"Thanks, but, uh..." Armin was confused as to why he wanted to do this. He wanted to be a perfect soldier, so shouldn't he avoid this and follow orders. "Won't they punish you for helping?"

"Yeah, if they find out about it." Reiner responded. "Just make the cut and we're even, alright?" He said as he ran ahead with Armin's bag.

The whole time, Shadis was reviewing them.

_Reiner Braun: The mind and constitution of a grass fed ox. Respected by his comrades._

Armin felt a burst of energy at his help, determined to do it on his own. "I'm no one's burden, you hear me?" he shouted at Reiner as he sprinted ahead, yanking his pack off of Reiner's shoulder.

_Armin Arlert: Built like a daffodil, but academically brilliant._

"Dude, he's just trying to help." The voice of Decon Ross said as he slowed to run with Armin.

"I understand that, but I want to be able to do it myself." Armin explained between breaths.

Decon sighed. "I get where your coming from, but don't let that make you refuse help all the time. There's nothing wrong with a little help."

_Decon Ross: Has a mind that can process situations in seconds, and react accordingly. Also, surprisingly fast, despite his lanky frame. Not very bright in the classroom though. Despite that, he's one of the three to excel past anyone I've ever seen._

Later, Shadis was reviewing cadets who were training with ODM Gear, in a forest loaded with titan dummies. He watched as four cadets sliced through the fake nape, with one not slicing correctly.

_Rex Luke: A short hot head who is surprisingly adept with ODM Gear. Has a tendency to let his anger do the talking. Another of the three students._

_Annie Leonhart: Gifted with a sword, but does not exactly play well with others._

_Bertholdt Hoover: Heaps of major talent, but too mild mannered._

_Jean Kirschtein: Head of the class on ODM. Also an insufferable smart-ass with a hair-trigger temper._

Jean gritted his teeth in anger at his failure. 'Think those show-offs can slice and dice? Best hope you see a titan before I do.' He thought as he engaged his ODM gear, zooming through the forest in an attempt to find another target. 'Military Police, save a place for Jean!' He thought as he finally ended up in a clearing with a large titan target. He smirked, ready to attack, before a familiar voice rang out above him.

"Way to lead the charge!" Connie Springer shouted as he swooped down past Jean. "You don't care if I steal your thunder, right?" He asked as he pulled his blades back, ready to cut out a piece of the fake. He was beaten to it, however, by someone he didn't expect at all.

"Yahoo!! Woo!" Shouted Sasha Braus as she used her ODM gear to slingshot into the air in joy.

_Sasha Braus: Unusually fined instincts. Rarely shares them with her teammates._

_Connie Springer: Agile on the switchbacks. A few sandwiches shy of a picnic._

Meanwhile, two more cadets were approaching a clearing where two dummies were being lifted into place. In less than two seconds, Mikasa Ackerman had made a perfect cut in both dummies.

Eren Yeager followed suit, but he didn't end making a good cut. 'Dammit! Still not deep enough!" He thought as he went to find another one.

_Mikasa Ackerman: Model cadet. Excels in everything. In fact, it's no overstatement to call the girl a genius._

_Eren Yeager: Lackluster in the classroom. Marginally better on the field. But, driven by a sense of purpose that's almost terrifying._

Kieth's attention was drawn to another student, the best student, if he if he was honest, as he watched the large boy jump between trees and use ODM Gear to cut the titan fakes, or outright smash them all together.

_John Gallagher: The biggest cadet I've ever seen by far, in both height and size, and the "big brother" of the 104th, as his peers call him. He stands at a towering 6'9", and despite his size, he is surprisingly talented with ODM Gear. He's athletic enough to keep his momentum jumping between trees, even with the ODM Gear, and he is surprisingly graceful when using it. Also, he posesses surprising strength and durability, allowing him to easily crush wood, and smash through titans if what we see is to be believed. He excels in the classroom, and helps all of his comrades who ask. He is probably the best, of the three students._

"WOOHOOO!!!" Big John's shout of joy was heard all throughout the forest.

* * *

It was now combat training, and Eren was currently sparring with Reiner. The practice was simple, one person had a fake knife, and was the attacker, while the other had to disarm the opponent.

Reiner came charging at Eren, who reacted quickly. He pressed his hand to Reiner's chest while grabbing his wrist, grippinng his shirt, and using Reiner's weight against him, flipping him over. On his back.

"Sorry, man." Eren said as Reiner groaned in pain. "I really gotta learn to hold back." He said as he helped Reiner to his feet.

"It's alright. Let's see how you do as the rogue." Reiner said, handing Eren the knife. Eren didn't make a move for a few moments. "What are you waiting for?"

"This training doesn't make any sense." Eren responded, taking the knife from Reiner. "We're not exactly picking fights with someone our own size. A guy would have to be stupid to use this. I mean, a knife?" As he said that, a memory flashed through his mind. Of the day he met Mikasa.

"What if there's not an option?" Reiner asked, gaining Eren's attention. "The fight doesn't give us a say. If it wants to get ugly, it gets ugly. It's our job to be prepared." He explained. Eren listened intently as he continued. "The enemy comes in many forms. Artillery's not always the answer. Soldiers, ones worth their salt anyway, are ready for anything." Eren stared at him for a few moments, and Reiner's gaze turned to a certain someone just walking around, rather than training. "Don't believe me? Look."

Eren's gaze turned to find the resident loner, Annie Leonhart, simply walking around the combat field. "Yeah, what about her? The only thing she's ready for is any chance to slack off."

"You think so?" Reiner asked as Eren turned to him. "Maybe someone oughta give her a talking to. Give her a little, hard knocks lesson in preparedness." Eren's eyes widened at the idea.

Annie kept walking, simply looking around at the rest of the cadets, but she was forced to stop when she spotted a large person in front of her. Moving her gaze up, she found herself looking at Reiner.

"Commandant not beating you down enough?" He asked. "Keep it up and you'll be as flat as the dirt you're walking on. I suggest you think back to why you enlisted in the first place."

"What are you doing?" Eren asked as he walked up to the two. His gaze turned to Annie, and he found her giving Reiner her famous Leonhart glare. 'Whoa, she's pissed! Wow, I thought she looked scary before. You couldn't pay me enough to be on her bad side.' Sadly for him, Reiner had other plans.

He felt Reiner's bulky hands plant themselves on his shoulders. "Okay, now go get her." He said as encouragement, pushing Eren towards her.

"Hey! What the hell- wait!" He objected. He watched Annie take up a combat stance he had never seen before. Resigning himself to his fate, he sighed. "Right, I hope you don't expect me to hold back." He warned. "Heads up!" With those words, he charged at Annie. Annie reared her foot back, and before Eren could react, she brought it forward, kicking Eren's shin.

He grunted in pain as he fell to the ground. "Son of a- that was a dirty move." Eren said as he attempted to stand up, only to fall back down in pain. Annie turned to look at Reiner.

"Are we done here?" She asked him in a bored tone.

"Not just yet." Reiner said. "You know the drill, take up the dagger." Annie sighed in annoyance before turning to Eren.

"No, wait! This isn't how- Oh crap!" Before Eren could do anything, Annie grabbed his wrist and put her hand on his face, before pulling her foot back, and kicking Eren's foot out from under him, taking the knife from his hand in the process. Eren landed on his upper back with his ass in the air, his knees almost touching his shoulders. Annie then tossed the dagger to Reiner.

"There. You take me on yourself yet or what?" She asked, moving some hair behind her ear.

Reiner sweat-dropped. "Uh, not exactly."

"Don't you dare." Reiner turned his attention to find Eren glaring at him. "She's got a lesson coming, right? You go get her."

Reiner turned to look at Annie for a moment, before sighing. "Yeah. A soldier can't really afford to back down either. Get ready, here I come!"

Reiner ended up in exactly the same position as Eren had, with his ass in the air and his legs to his shoulders.

"That's some technique you've got." Eren said as he was finally able to climb to his feet. "Who taught you how to fight like that?"

"My father did." Annie answered.

Eren nodded. "It's just, I've only seen one other person fight like that."

That caught Annie's attention for some reason. "Who?"

"Big John." Eren answered. Annie's actually widened at that. The big behemoth barely fought anyone, somehow managing to slack off in combat training and not get caught.

"He can fight?" She asked him, looking over at the person in question, finding him holding Decon in a chokehold with an angry look on his face, taking Decon's panicking elbow to the ribs constantly without even feeling it, with Rex laughing his ass off next to him.

"Yeah." Eren nodded. "Not long after my mom got a new house after the wall fell, Big John and his sister Lucy came to live with us." He explained.

"What about to his parents?"

"They died, and him and Lucy got stuck with an asshole stepdad." Eren explained, his face taking on an angry look.

"I can relate." Annie said quietly, but Eren didn't hear it.

"Anyway, Mom ended up in debt, because her boss kept underpaying her. So Big John went and won a sack full of about 800 dollars in coins from cage fighting at a bar in Trost. And he kept going back too, even after Mom got a better job, because he enjoyed it too much." Eren finished. "He ain't ever lost a fight in his life."

Annie furrowed her brow. "Why would he use a technique like that in cage fights?"

Eren shook his head. "He don't. He uses techniques like that against assholes in the Garrison and MP's." He clarified. "He preferes to fight like a brawler."

Annie rolled her eyes. "Why does that not shock me?" She shook her head. "It doesn't really matter anyway."

"Then why'd you ask?" Eren asked.

"I was just wondering. But still, hand to hand combat doesn't count for squat against our final grade." Annie explained her reasoning.

"Maybe not." The voice of their earlier conversation topic said, as they saw Big John approaching them. "But it is fun." He said with a smile on his face as he stopped in front of them.

Annie scoffed. "Only a big brute like you would find it fun." She remarked.

Big John smirked. "Really? Is that why you get so much more into it than anyone else?" He said, causing Annie's eyes to widen in shock. "I pay attention to shit, even if it don't look like it."

Annie's shock faded as her eyes narrowed. "Are you looking for a fight?"

Big John raised his eyebrow. "Are you?" he fired back.

Annie was silent for a moment, before rolling her eyes. "Whatever." She said as she tossed Big John the dagger and got into her combat stance.

Big John smirked as he walked opposite of her, staring her down. He felt like laughing as he heard Connie's voice. "Hey, everyone! Big John's actually fighting someone, and it's Annie!" He heard everyone, everyone, stop what they were doing as they came over to watch, chattering the entire time.

"So, the blonde shortstack's actually fighting Johnny?" Decon asked as he and Rex stopped next to everyone else. "How'd that happen?"

"He overheard a conversation her mention something about combat practice being stupid, or something." Reiner explained. "Ask Eren, he knows better than me."

"They pretty much challenged each other to a fight, because Big John noticed something about Annie." Eren clarified.

"What was it?" Bertholdt asked.

"I'm not sure, but it don't really matter now. She's in a fight she can't win." Eren practically felt Annie's glare, but he didn't respond to it.

"Yeah, right. Annie's gonna put that guy on the ground." Jean said, probably because he was jealous at the fact that he knew Mikasa.

"I don't know. Big John hasn't lost a fight in his life." Armin disagreed. It sucked for him to do so though, because he did have a slight crush on Annie.

"Yeah. I kinda find it hard to imagine this being his first loss." Rex agreed with Armin.

"He's not going to hurt her, is he?" Christa asked, worried for the fellow blonde.

"I wouldn't worry about that." Mikasa objected. "He tends to go easy on females." Mikasa assured.

"Holding back isn't gonna help you in a real fight." Reiner pointed out.

"Maybe not." Marco admitted. "But with him, he'd probably have to hold back to make sure he doesn't hurt anybody."

Rex and Decon looked at each other at that remark.

Big John couldn't stop smiling. "You sure you wanna do this?"

Annie snorted at the question. "I already accepted. Can we get this going before the commandant shows up?"

Big John's smile got even bigger. "Your choice." He said as he crouched into a running position.

Everyone else jumped as five seperate voices all said the same words in perfect sync.

"Annie's dead." The voices of Eren, Armin, Mikasa, Decon, and Rex all said together, with each person gaining weird looks from everyone else.

"How?" Mina whispered to Thomas, who shrugged in response. The question was answered as Big John took off at surprising speed, faster than Annie expected. She attempted to kick his shin she as she had done Eren, but to her shock, he jumped over it, landing on in a crouching position, before swinging his leg behind him, sweeping her legs out from under her. Before she could recover, she felt the blade at her throat, signaling her loss.

"Your turn with the knife." Big John said, standing back up and tossing the knife next to her. She glared at him as she picked it up, and took up her stance again. Once he was facing her, she charged at him, ducking under his attempt at a right hook, before turning around, and attempting the same move she had already done to Eren and Reiner. She gripped his wrist as she put her hand on his face, but to everyone's shock, his leg didn't budge when she kicked it. Before she could back away, Big John bent his arm, driving his elbow into her face, and stunning her for a few seconds. That few seconds was all he needed, as he immediately turned on his heel and grabbed her hoodie, pulling her to the ground. The moment she was down, he was on her back, the dagger at her throat. "Again, I win."

Everyone who hadn't known Big John before the cadets were shell-shocked.

"Well, Annie's finally lost to someone." Ymir said, eyes wide at what just unfolded.

"How the hell did he do that?" Jean screamed in outrage.

"Screw that, how did he move so fast?" Sasha asked, stars in her eyes. "Oh, all the meat we could catch!"

"Of course you would say that, Potato Girl." Jean said with a smirk. Sasha's eyes widened.

"I thought everyone forgot about that!"

"Oh, I wish I were like him." Daz muttered under his breath.

"Go Big John!" Christa cheered, causing Ymir to scowl and glare at Big John.

"Gotta say, I didn't expect that from him." Reiner said, nodding in approval.

"Just because I slack off doesn't I can't fight." Big John said with a smile, tossing the dagger to Reiner, before turning to Annie. "Here." He said, offering his hand.

Annie stared at it for a few minutes, before slapping it away. "I'm fine." She growled, hauling herself up.

Big John's eyebrows raised. "Okay. Didn't mean to piss you off."

Annie simply glared at him in response, before turning and walking away. Big John stared at her retreating form in confusion.

"She's like that." Betholdt said, walking up next to him as everyone returned to training. "She likes fighting, and she was happy when she thought she was the most skilled one here." He explained.

"So, since I beat her..." Big John trailed off.

"She's angry and hurt that she was proven wrong." Bertholdt finished. Big John looked at him.

"How do you know so much about her?" He asked. "She's a loner who doesn't tries to avoid everyone."

Bertholdt nodded. "She came from the same village as me and Reiner."

Big John's eyes widened. "Really? You guys friends with her?"

Bertholdt shook his head. "We're acquaintances. Well, me and her are at least. She hates Reiner." Big John was confused at that.

"Why?"

"When we escaped our village, a friend of ours died saving Reiner. When we were safe, she blamed Reiner and beat him to a pulp." Big John's eyes widened.

"That's hard to imagine."

"Reiner was a skinny kid at the time."

"Still difficult." 

Bertholdt laughed. "Yeah, I guess. Anyway, Reiner got up, bloodied and broken, and nearly choked her to death in shock."

"Jesus." Big John shook his head in shock. That wasn't a pretty picture.

"That's the one day I ever saw Annie absolutely terrified. He probably would've killed her if I hadn't stopped him. He's tried to lead us, and make it up to her, but she can't forget it."

Big John whistled. "Sounds like a hell of disagreement."

Bertholdt nodded. "Yeah. I wish they would make up."

Big John thought for a moment, while staring in the direction Annie went. "Yeah." 

* * *

It was dinner time and Christa was aching a little bit. Her sparing partner for combat training was Mikasa, and the oriental didn't exactly hold back. In the end, Mikasa had floored her god knows how many times, and and Christa didn't beat her once. It didn't help her mood either.

"What's up, Christa?" The voice of Ymir Sher spoke up, as she took a seat next to Christa.

"Combat practice was not fun." She responded, rubbing her back. "Ow."

Ymir laughed. "You probably should've picked a better sparring partner." She said, taking a bite out of her bread.

"Everyone was taken." Christa responded. "Not many people like sparring with Mikasa because she doesn't always pay attention. She usually keeps an eye on Eren."

Ymir rolled her eyes. "If she's got the hots for the boy, why doesn't she just ask him out?" She asked.

Christa shook her head. "I think they grew up together." Ymir's eyes widened.

"What, like, siblings?" She asked.

"No. They aren't siblings, but I think Eren's parents took care of Mikasa."

"Oh." Ymir nodded. "That makes a bit more sense. Wasn't his parents killed during the fall of Shiganshina?"

Christa thought for a moment. "No, I don't think so. At least, his mother wasn't."

Ymir narrowed her eyes. "How do you know so much about Eren, anyway? You rarely talk to him." She pointed out with a suspicious tone.

"Big John's been friends with him since they were kids."

Ymir scowled. "I really don't like him."

Christa gave her a look. "You just don't like him because he doesn't agree with you."

Ymir shook her head. "It's not that. He's always so happy. It's weird."

Christa tilted her head. "How's it weird to be happy?"

"It's all the time!" Ymir exclaimed. "I've only ever seen him unhappy once, and it was the very first day!"

"And?" Christa didn't see her point. "He was retelling a traumatic experience."

Ymir gave an exasperated sigh. "How does someone stay so happy after seeing something like that?"

Christa shook her head. "Everyone deals with problems in their own way. Maybe his is to stay happy."

"It's still creepy. I mean," Ymir gestured around them as she spoke. "Everyone loves him except for me and Annie. Even Mikasa loves him, and she normally doesn't show emotion for anyone except Eren."

"Like I said," Christa reinforced her point. "They grew up together. She's had years to get to know him unlike us."

"She did with the other three, too. Yet she isn't nearly as close with them."

"How do you know that?" Christa asked. Ymir went silent as she had no answer. "Exactly. She may not talk to them as much, but that doesn't mean she's not close to him."

"No one ever sees her hang out with them unless they're with Eren or Big John." Ymir tried weakly.

Christa shook her head. "That still doesn't mean anything."

Ymir rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Why are you defending him so much anyway?"

"I defend everybody you're mean to." Christa replied. Ymir responded with a snort.

"You normally tell me to quit being mean, and then say they are fine the way they are." She explained. "Never have you ever defended anybody like this, except for that big idiot."

Christa narrowed her eyes. "He's not an idiot."

Ymir smirked. "Do you have a crush on him or something?" At the question, all of Christa's annoyance turned to shock as her face took on an unbelievable shade of crimson.

"W-What?!" She yelled out louder than she meant to. The mess hall went quiet as most of the inhabitants turned their confused gaze to them. Her face turned even redder as she noticed that the topic of their conversation was present as well, his look of confusion not helping her blush. Suprisingly, Ymir was quick to disperse the attention.

"Mind your own business. Our conversation doesn't concern anybody else." She stated, loudly but firmly. Almost all attention turned away from them, but she noticed Big John's gaze lingered on them for a few moments, not with a raised eyebrow. Ymir glared at the man, causing him to roll his eyes, but turn his attention away. Not without flipping her off though.

Ymir growled, but she didn't do anything else as she turned her attention back to Christa. "Well?"

Christa's blush was still visible, albeit not as prominent, as she turned to Ymir with a pout. "That was mean, Ymir."

Ymir simply smirked. "You're the one who shouted. I just asked you a question. But I think the answer's clear."

"I don't have a crush on him!" Christa denied, causing Ymir's smirk to grow even larger.

"Keep telling yourself that." She said, causing Christa to pout. Ymir chuckled at her reaction. "You look adorable when you pout."

"Hey!" Christa said in indignation.

"Don't worry, I won't tell him." Ymir said, to Christa's annoyance. She sweatdropped at Ymir's next words, however. "I make no promises about anyone else, though." They stared at each other for a few moments, before Christa nervously spoke up.

"Y-You're kidding, right?" She stuttered out. Ymir simply gave an evil smirk. Christa was about to ask again, when their attention was drawn to a commotion in the back of the mess hall. They spotted Jean and Eren getting into it again.

"Listen to you guys. Interior. Five years ago, this was part of it." Eren said, taking a drink from his mug.

"Here we go again." Ymir whispered to Christa as they both watched the scene play out.

"You got a point to make, friend? I'm right here." Jean growled, turning to look at Eren.

"Poor Jean, so misguided. And besides," Eren turned to look back at Jean. "I don't think your head will fit in the interior anyway."

Many cadets found themselves trying to hold back their laughter as Jean's eye twitched at the remark. Even Ymir and Christa found themselves holding back giggles, although Christa was doing much better than Ymir, letting only a small smile appear on her face whereas Ymir was snickering. The only ones really open about their amusement were Big John, Decon, and Rex, who were chuckling. Well, Rex and Big John were chuckling. Decon let out a full blown laugh. Christa unconsciously found herself looking at three, more specifically, Big John.

Jean sweat-dropped at the reactions, before glaring at Eren. "Very funny." He spat through gritted teeth.

"Seems a little backwards to me." Eren snarled. "Fine-tuning your titan-killing skills so that the brass will station you somewhere you'll never see one."

"You'd rather I was good at getting killed?" Jean asked rhetorically. "Thank you but I'll pass. Better to play the system than get nawed on."

Eren gritted his teeth as he felt rage overcome him. "You son of a bitch!" he yelled, standing to his feet.

"Bring it on you little bastard!" Jean shot back, jumping to his feet as well as the two aggressively approached each other. Christa was about to intervene when Eren grabbed Jean's shirt, but everyone's attention was drawn to the corner where the blunt three were sitting.

"I'm telling you guys right now, you don't wanna do that." Big John warned with a knowing smile. It looked like the argument was stopped when Mikasa approached the two.

"Gentlemen, please." She said, shooting a look at Big John as she took Eren's hand away from Jean's shirt. Jean felt jealousy well up inside him as Eren and Mikasa looked at each other, with Mikasa's hands on Eren's arm. Eren was about to sit down, when Jean went off.

"YOU THINK YOU CAN JUDGE ME?!" Jean yelled, taking Eren's shirt in his grip.

"Hopeless bastard." Ymir muttered under her breath as she and Christa watched."

Even though it was obvious to everyone else, Eren was honestly confused. "Huh?! YOU RIP MY SHIRT AND YOU'RE DEAD!!"

Jean felt sweat dropping down his face as he roared back. "I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT YOU'RE SHIRT, YOU PISSED ME OFF!!"

"WHAT?! ARE YOU CRAZY?!" All the sudden, Eren seemed to have a look of realization, before gritting his teeth. Everyone watched Eren grabbed Jean's wrist with one hand while his other hand panted itself on Jean's face, before kicking his leg out from under him.

On the other side of the room, Annie let out a small gasp as she recognized the move as the one she had used on Reiner and Eren himself earlier that day. Jean groaned in pain as he hit the ground, while Eren turned around to look at him.

"Dammit!" Jean hissed, rubbing his head as he slung himself up into a sitting position, before glaring at Eren. "What the hell was that move?!"

"A little something I picked up this afternoon while you were busy with your thumb up your ass." Eren said, surprisingly calmly, as he glared back at Jean. "You honestly believe the Military police are you're ticket to the good life? You're not a soldier, you're a joke." He insulted. Jean was tempted to throw another punch, but both he and Eren found themselves back in their seats in nervousness as a familiar pair of stomps made their way to the mess hall door.

The next moment, the door cracked open just enough to make out Shadis peeking through. "Would someone care to explain the little ruckus I heard just now? I do hope everything's alright." He was terrifyingly quiet as he said that, and Christa actually felt terrified, despite not doing anything wrong at all. Jean and Eren's asses were saved as Big John's hand shot up, his excuse causing major amusement throughout most of the room.

"Decon sat on his balls again." Almost everyone in the mess hall found their hands to their mouths at Decon's expense, holding in their laughter as much as they could as Shadis shook his head.

"Goddamn, Ross, for a quick thinker, you're a fucking idiot." He said, to Decon's horror as he turned to leave.

The moment the door closed, laughter burst out from almost everyone in the mess hall as Decon jumped to his feet and attempted to punch Big John, only to end up beating uselessly at his arms as his large hand kept the black-haired man at bay. "YOU BIG ASSHOLE BASTARD!" He yelled, his lame insults causing everyone to laugh harder. "WHAT THE HELL?!"

Christa was shocked to find herself laughing at the whole display. When she felt Ymir nudge her arm, she turned to look at her, and her happiness faded and she gulped at Ymir's knowing look.

"That was mean, don't you think?"

Christa just stared forward, her face as red as a tomato.

"Hey, meet me outside the mess hall after dinner." Ymir spoke up, gaining Christa's attention again, with a confused look this time.

"Why?"

"Everyone's getting together tonight so we can get to know each other." Ymir explained. Christa was hesitant, but eventually agreed.

"Okay."

* * *

As Christa approached the group of people outside the mess hall, she was nervous to find everyone sitting around a bunch of shot glasses and a couple bottles of beer. It didn't help that Big John and Ymir were there. She was tempted to leave, but she did tell Ymir that she'd be there, so swallowing up her nervousness, she approached.

Ymir spotted her out of the corner of her eye and turned to wave her over. "Hey, Christa! Come take a seat." Now everyone's attention was on Christa, and she wasn't comfortable with all the confused and shocked stares she was getting.

"Christa?" Reiner asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Since when do you do stuff like this?" Mina asked in confusion.

"I normally don't if it involves beer." Christa responded as she took a seat, shoot a glare at Ymir.

"What? I didn't know there was beer, I was only told it was a get-together." Ymir defended herself.

"Why is that not believable?" Annie deadpanned, causing Ymir to glare.

"Well either way," Rex spoke up, turning to look at Christa. "We're all glad to have you here."

Nods and words of agreement were heard as everyone looked at her.

"So what are we doing, anyway, Reiner?" Bertholdt asked, turning to his blonde friend.

The person in question grinned. "We're gonna play Truth or Dare." He revealed. "We're each taking turns, clockwise. If it's your turn, you ask someone of your choice truth of dare? If they pick truth, they have to answer a question honestly. If it's a dare, they have to do the dare. If they refuse, they have to drink a shot of beer."

"Can I have whatever's left?" Big John asked, gaining weird looks from everyone. "What?"

"Are you an underage drinker?" Thomas asked, looking at the large man.

"When you've lived the life I have, beer tends to be surprisingly helpful. Besides, I don't get drunk easily."

Reiner shook his head. "Whatever. Anyway, who wants to go first?" In clockwise order was Reiner, Bertholdt, Annie, Mina, Thomas, Jean, Marco, Sasha, Connie, Armin, Eren, Mikasa, Big John, Rex, Decon, Christa, and Ymir.

Eren raised his hand. "I will." He said, before turning to Mikasa. "Mikasa, truth or dare?

"Truth." The stoic girl answered.

"Do you have a crush on Big John?" The blunt question caught everyone off guard, but Mikasa's face remained the same.

"No."

Eren shrugged his shoulders. "Just wondering. Your turn."

"That leaves only one other person, asshole." Jean mumbled under his breath at Eren's ignorance.

"Sasha, truth or dare?"

"Dare!" The food lover exclaimed in excitement.

"I dare you to offer the commandant a potato." Everyone laughed at how quickly Sasha's face turned red with embarrassment.

"Meanie." She said, gulping down the shot of beer.

"Your turn, Johnny." Decon informed. Big John nodded.

"Alright, truth or dare, Decon?"

"Dare." The black haired boy responded with a smirk.

"I dare you to play a round of Rock, Paper, Nuts with me right now." Never before had any of them seen a man down a shot of beer so quickly, but it didn't go unnoticed how quickly Eren, Armin, and Rex covered their crotch in protection.

"What's Rock, Paper, Nuts?" Ymir asked.

"You play Rock, Paper, Scissors, but at the end of every round, the loser gets kicked in the crotch." No sooner had the words left Armin's mouth had every boy present followed the first three's example. Ymir gave a mischievous smirk to Reiner, causing him to gulp.

"So, my turn, I guess." Rex said, turning to Big John. "Big John, truth or dare?"

"Dare." Rex grinned at the response as he pulled out an empty beer bottle.

"Smash this over your own head." He instructed, handing it over to Big John.

"That's mean, Rex." Christa said, giving the red head a pout. Everyone's jaws dropped, however, when Big John brought the thick bottle down on his head, completely shattering it, with a perfect poker face.

"Is that it?" He asked, throwing the shattered thing behind him. Rex chuckled.

"Hard-head."

"Smart-ass."

"My turn. Annie, truth or dare?" Decon asked the blonde with a smirk.

"Dare."

"I dare you to kiss Armin." Both blondes eyes widened at the dare, both of their face turning a new shade of red in embarrasment. To everyone's shock however, Annie stood up, walking over to Armin, before crouching low enough to be eye level with him. Before Armin could react, he found his lips touching Annie's own. It was for a split second, and Annie quickly made her way back to her spot, leaving everyone shell shocked.

"Is that it?" She hissed at Decon, who slowly recovered.

"I didn't say you have to kiss him on the lips."

"Well what do you know?" Big John said, catching everyone's attention. "The girl ain't so cold after all."

Annie narrowed her eyes. "I will kill you in your sleep."

Big John chuckled. "And she's cold again. You're turn Christa."

Christa's eyes widened when she realized he was talking to her, before turning to Armin. "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth." The fellow blonde answered. Christa had to think for a moment before she finally figured out what to ask him.

"Why do you keep your hair cut like that?" She asked the man. Armin blinked.

"Huh?"

"You look like a girl with your haircut, Armin." Ymir said bluntly. Armin narrowed his eyes.

"Ymir!" Christa was about to chastise her, when Armin himself spoke up.

"It was my mother's favorite, and you think doesn't really matter, Ymir." Anyone who hadn't known Armin before the 104th were wide-eyes at his suddenly bold comment. "Can we move on?"

Ymir cleared her throat. "Anyway, my turn." She turned to look at Christa, and the small woman felt her heart drop at her gaze. "Christa, truth or dare?" She asked with a smirk.

She had a feeling she was gonna have to answer an awful question if she picked truth, and she didn't think Ymir would make her do anything to bad, so she went with what she thought was her best option.

"Dare." She finally said. She felt like she had just picked the worst thing in the world when she spotted Ymir's smirk.

"I dare you to kiss your crush." She said, finally. Everyone watched as her face turned as red as a tomato, and her gaze fell onto the shot glass for a few seconds. She didn't know what to do. She didn't want to do it and embarass herself, but she definitely didn't want to drink anything with alcohol.

"I thought you two were dating." Decon said, causing Christa to feel worse as Ymir chuckled.

"No, she has her eye on someone else. I wanna see if she'll actually kiss him."

"You're mean, Ymir." She pouted, causing the brunette to laugh.

"Hey, you don't have to do it. You could always take a shot of beer." The taller woman said, gesturing to the shot glasses.

Christa was torn. She had told herself that she would never drink underage, but she didn't want to embarrass herself in front of everyone. Looking around, she spotted everyone looking at her in anticipation, curious as to what she would do. And who she would pick.

She eventually steeled her nerves at what she was going to do. Taking in a deep breath, everyone watched as stood her feet, slowly walking to her right, counter clockwise, before dropping to her knees between Rex and Big John. Big John's eyes widened when the girl's embarrassed gaze slowly turned to him, and she slowly reached herself up to him, placing her hands on his chest for support, as her lips met his. Unlike Annie and Armin, everyone watched as their lips stayed connected for a few seconds, Big John's eyes wide in shock, whereas Christa's were closed out of fear that he'd be angry.

When she finally pulled away, her eyes finally opened to look at Big John's shocked gaze. She quickly returned to her spot, almost sure that he was angry. Everyone's shocked gazes moved between the two, and the silence seemed to last forever, until Big John finally spoke.

"Wow."

"Wow? You just kissed the cutest girl here! I'm jealous." Reiner remarked with a smirk.

Big John was still stunned. "She kissed me..." He muttered quietly.

"Well, whatever man. Congrats to you!" Connie encouraged, pumping his fist into the air.

"Anyway, your turn Reiner." Ymir said, gesturing to the blonde on her left.

"Right, Bertholdt, truth or dare?"

"Truth." The tall boy responded.

"Do you have a crush on Annie?" Bertholdt froze up at the question, and quickly downed a shot, causing everyone to laugh and forget what just transpired.

The game continued for a few hours, with a few truths being admitted, such as Jean's annoyance of his mother, Mikasa's reason for protecting Eren, and shockingly, Annie's fear of thunder, and Rex ended up getting kicked between the legs by Mikasa, who actually had a blush for once. The game ended when Decon dared Big John to get down and dirty with a girl of his choice, causing every girl present, aside from Christa, who was blushing too much out of embarrassment, as well as Big John himself to chase Decon, threatening to castrate him and rip him limb from limb. The whole time, Christa thought one thing.

'I do have a crush on him. And I probably just made him angry.'

* * *

It was finally time to return to the dorms, and the whole time, Big John couldn't get his mind off of earlier. He wasn't expecting Christa to kiss him, of all people. Ymir was who he thought she would kiss. If not her, then Reiner. He definitely didn't expect himself.

Then again, him and Christa had been getting closer to each other, in the last five months. Ever since the aptitude test, him and Christa had been hanging out a lot. He would help her tend to the horses at the stables, tending to the horses and getting the hay-bales. He laughed every time he remembered when Christa saw him lift the hay-bales.

"You're carrying two in each hand! Don't you need help?"

She had asked him that question the moment he was inside the barn. He understood her concern. Most people would have to carry one with both hands, and rarely, one in each hand. But not him.

"Nope." He said with a grin.

He remembered when he went with her to the hospital in Trost. She had decided to volunteer and had asked him to come with her. He remembered the way she had acted towards that little girl.

"What's wrong with her father? Is he injured?" Christa asked the Garrison soldier as a little girl ran past them, bawling her eyes out.

"If only it were that simple." The woman replied, shaking her head.

"Is he sick or something?" Big John asked the woman, who nodded.

"Unfortunately. And the only cure is found outside the walls." She informed them.

"Oh, that's horrible!" Christa exclaimed in pity, turning in the direction of the girl. "Um, little girl, wait!" She yelled, running after the girl in an attempt to make her feel better.

"No wonder everyone calls her a goddess." Big John muttered under his breath as he climbed up onto his bunk with a grunt. He groaned in annoyance as he heard Connie's voice behind him.

"So Big John, how'd it feel to be kissed by the cutest girl in the 104th?" He asked with a knowing grin, his question gaining the attention of every boy in the dorm.

"Yeah, man." Reiner spoke up. "I'd kill to be you."

"I'll tell you what, I never thought I'd see Big Johnny Gallagher shell-shocked from being kissed by a girl, of all things." Decon said, smirking as Big John glared at him.

"So what was it like?" Thomas asked, turning to look at Big John.

"It was mind-blowing, if I'm being honest." Big John admitted. "I thought she was either gonna end up kissing Reiner, or Ymir."

"Really?" Bertholdt asked.

"I wish." Reiner muttered under his breath.

"To be honest," Armin spoke up. "It's been painfully obvious she had a crush on you for a while now." He admitted, causing Big John to widen his eyes.

"Really?" He asked out loud. A chorus of yes's and yeah's echoed around the room, causing Big John to groan in embarrassment as his hands covered his face, rolling onto his back. "Everyone but me!"

Jean laughed at his expense. "Really man? Everyone knows but the man himself?"

"Ah, shut the hell up, Horseface." Big John said, although it was muffled by his hands. "I don't need to hear that from a guy whose chasing a woman he can't get." Everyone laughed at the remark as Jean's face turned beat red.

"Well, I say good for you, man." Connie said with a grin. "You hit that."

"Connie, that isn't right." Eren said, glaring at the boy.

"What?" Connie shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just saying, if he can do it then..." He trailed off as he spotted Big John giving him a death glare.

"If you don't shut the hell up, Buzzcut, I will personally show you what it feels like to be manhandled!" He threatened.

"I know what that feels like." Connie said quietly.

"Not by me, you don't." He said. Everyone laughed as Connie abruptly layed down and attempted to go to sleep.

"Alright man, well, see you in the morning." Decon said as he himself laid down. A chorus of good nights and yeahs were heard as the dorm went dark. Big John fell asleep with one final thought.

'Christa has a crush on me. But, do I feel the same way?'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: And there we go. This is the chapter that gets the pairing going a bit, with Christa's crush on Big John coming out. Now, some of Christa will still be an act, but some of her feelings and acts, like her crush and eventual feelings for Big John, are genuine. In the next chapter, things heat up a little. Now, I apologize if it seems like I'm rushing it, but I intend for Big John and Christa to get together during their time in the cadets. And the cadets train for three years, and I sure as hell can't write a proper development without writing a good bit of the cadet years, so I will be focusing on certain things, with flashbacks to others throughout the story, so that I get to move along to the Trost Arc and actually get a proper story going. I'll probably make most of the chapters in the cadets focus on the relationship between Big John and Christa, with a few building the relationship between him and the other cadets. Anyway, please leave a kudos and a comment, and see you in the next chapter, where Christa and Big John come to realize some things.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christa has been avoiding Big John for a few weeks, and he's determined to find out why. Afterwards, a startling secret is revealed.

It had been a few weeks after that night, and it hadn't gone unnoticed to Big John that he had seen much less of Christa. At first it didn't seem like much. She had volunteer work to do at the Trost hospital, and he was fighting at Randall's bar. But it had slowly gotten less and less. She wasn't really asking him for combat tips anymore, and she rushed their work at the stables. She was insisting that she go to the hospital alone, and let Big John hang out with some friends or something.

'I'm just giving you your space.' He recalled her saying. He didn't quite understand what she meant by that. Did he do something to make her think he wanted space? Did he make her angry? He wasn't sure. But he would like to know.

"Hey, John, what's up?" The voice of Thomas Wagner caught his attention as he turned back to his sparring partner.

"Huh?"

"Dude, Shadis caught you slacking off last week, and your still dozing off." He explained, causing Big John to nod.

"It's Christa. Ever since game night, I've been seeing less and less of her." Big John explained. "It's almost like she's avoiding me."

"It could just be that she's busy." Thomas reasoned. Big John shook his head.

"Doubt it. She's been rushing our work at the stables, and she doesn't want me going with her to the hospital much anymore." Big John said.

"Really?" Thomas asked with a tilt of his head. Big John nodded.

"Yeah. Hell, she used to come to me for combat tips, and now I don't hear a damn thing."

"Has she said anything about it?" Thomas questioned.

"Yeah." Big John said with a sigh, putting his hands on his hips. "She said something about giving me my space."

"That's weird. I thought she would've been happy to be close to you, considering she likes you." Thomas commented.

"I wonder if it has to do with the fact that I know." Big John wondered aloud, emphasizing the word 'that'.

"Maybe she think's your angry from that kiss?" Thomas inquired, causing Big John to tilt his head.

"You know, I thought about that, but why would I be angry? It was only a kiss, and it was a dare anyway." Big John reasoned.

"Yeah, but in her mind, she probably thought she was being rude." Thomas said. "I mean, she doesn't even know you feel the same way."

"How do you know I feel that way about her?" Big John asked, narrowing his eyes. Thomas's own eyes widened.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to assume." He apologized. "But I gotta ask, do you like her?" Big John didn't answer for a few moments, before sighing.

"Yeah, I do." Big John admitted, his cheeks puffing out in a restrained sigh.

"Then why don't you tell her? She'd stop avoiding you, she'd be much happier, and you probably would too." Thomas reasoned. Big John shook his head.

"Yeah, but I don't want to hurt her." Big John said. "Besides, if I'm a crush, she could eventually grow out of me." Thomas raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"How would you hurt her?" Big John looked down once the question left his lips.

"It's just... look, it's a personal, alright" Big John explained.

"Whatever." Thomas shook his head. "Best thing I can tell you, is to talk to her about." He advised. "It might clear things up. And it could get her talking to you again."

"Thanks for the advice." Big John said. "But why are you trying to help me with a relationship?"

Thomas sighed. "You do so much for everybody. More than you think." Big John raised an eyebrow at that.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"You've broken Annie out of her shell, patched up her relationship with Reiner, she and Armin might become a thing-"

"That's Annie." Big John interrupted him. "What have I done for everyone I met in the cadets? Not just Annie."

"You helped Marco with combat, Connie is doing better with ODM, You taught Sasha how to hunt with a knife, Jean has a higher chance with the MP's, Daz is a little bit braver..." Thomas listed off. "Hell, you helped me and Mina improve a lot." His face took on a red hue at that sentence. Something that didn't go unnoticed.

"Why else are you helping me?" Big John pushed. Thomas was silent, before sighing.

"I admire your straightforward honesty, something I wish I had." Thomas admitted. Big John watched his gaze turned towards Mina, who was currently sparring with Daz.

"You like Mina, don't you?" It was more of a statement than a question, but Big John knew he was right when Thomas's face got even redder. Big John smiled. "Well, let me return some advice."

"What do you mean?" Thomas asked.

Big John gestured to Mina. "Mina's a nice, beautiful girl whose joy is practically contagious. She managed to befriend Annie before I did. And she's honest."

Thomas nodded. "Yeah. That she is." He agreed. "What's your point?"

"You told me to go talk to Christa. Your best bet is to be straightforward with Mina."

"You really think so?" Thomas sounded pretty hopeful.

Big John chuckled. "Man, your situation reminds me of Hannah and Franz." he remarked, causing Thomas to tilt his head in confusion.

"How? Mina and I don't have painfully obvious feelings for each other." Big John laughed at that.

"No. You don't" He laughed at Thomas's obliviousness. "Look, Christa volunteers to go to the hospital today. I gotta go anyway, so I'll talk to her. In return, I expect to hear about how it went with Mina when I get back." Big John said, reaching his hand towards Thomas. "Deal?"

Thomas was silent for a few seconds, before nodding, a small smile making it's way onto his face as he shook Big John's hand. "Good. Now let's get back to it." He said, taking up a fighting stance. "We don't want Shadis headbutting us."

* * *

Christa walked out of the girl's cabin with a sigh. It was another hospital day, and she was getting kind of lonely going by herself. But, unknown to her, she would have some familiar company today.

"What's up?" Christa yelped as a familiar voice spoke up behind her, causing her to turn around to see a chuckling Big John. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." Christa really didn't know how to respond. She thought he was angry with her and was forcing himself to go with her. "You going to the hospital today?"

Slowly, Christa nodded. "Yeah."

Big John grinned. "Great! I'll go with you, just let me-"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Christa said quickly, interrupting his sentence as she frantically waved her hands back and forth. "You don't have to force yourself to go with me." She said. Big John's smile dropped as his eyes narrowed.

"Why would I force myself to go with you?" He asked with a suspicious tone.

Christa's eyes widened. She probably just made him angrier. "I thought you were mad at me, so I was trying to stay away from you."

Big John let out a chuckle. "No, I'm not mad at you. I never was." 

His words hit Christa like a sack of bricks.

"You... weren't?" She asked in shock. Big John was laughing now.

"Of course not!" He said, spreading his arms, before dropping them to his side, his face taking a sad look. "It hurt, more than anything."

Now Christa felt guilty. "I'm sorry. I thought I had made you mad." She said. Big John sighed, and wrapped his arms around her, causing her to slightly gasp.

"No, you didn't. And I not going to be mad as long as you'll do me a favor." He said, looking down at her, causing her to crane her neck to look up at him. "Don't avoid me like that." He said, pulling her closer.

Christa slowly let it sink in how he had felt, before wrapping her own arms around him, returning the embrace. "I won't." She said, leaning her head into his chest as she held him tighter. "I won't."

"Thanks Christa." He said as they separated. She gave him a warm smile.

"No problem John." She said. Big John returned her smile.

"So, seriously, give me a second to grab something, and we'll head to the hospital." He said as he walked away. Christa nodded.

"I'll wait right here."

* * *

As soon as they arrived at the hospital, Big John followed Christa as she sought out the garrison soldier working there, who's name they had learned before was Maria Lewis. As soon as she spotted the woman, Christa waved her over.

"Maria!" She yelled, catching the woman's attention.

"Christa, Big John. It's nice to see you here again." Maria said as she approached them, nodding at them.

"We're glad to be here. How's the soldier?" Christa asked. Maria shook her head.

"Not good. His odds get less and less every day." She informed them, a solemn look on her face. "Their daughter still holds out hope."

Big John shook his head. "Damn. That's awful."

Christa nodded. "It is. Is his daughter here?" She asked. Maria nodded. 

"She's in the room with him. He's asleep right now. Like I said, she's holding onto hope, but he only has days to live at this rate." She said.

"Oh, that's horrible." Christa said. It tore her apart that the poor girl was gonna end up going through the same thing she did. Only, Christa didn't have loving parents. "What about the wife?"

Marie shook her head. "She's trying to find a job for when her husband passes. So she can support her daughter."

"I thought the military took care of them." Big John said, causing Marie to sigh.

"We do, but she believes that she'll still need money for when it runs out." She explained.

"I thought it doesn't run out." Big John remarked. Marie was silent.

"Is it okay if I go see the girl?" Christa asked. Maria nodded, pointing down the hallway.

"The room is right down the hallway there." She said. Christa nodded and thanked the woman, before walking down the hallway, disappearing out of sight into one of the hospital rooms.

Big John turned to Marie. "So, what kind of flower was it that you guys needed to make the cure?"

Marie looked at him. "It was a blue flower, with a white center. I can't remember what they are called."

Big John's eyes widened at the description. "Really?"

"Yeah. If only we had it, we could cure him. But the flower grows in Wall Maria." Marie explained.

Big John put his hand to his chin, as if thinking for a moment, as the other reached behind him. "It wouldn't be a flower like this, would it?"

Christa's heart practically shattered at the sight of the little girl speaking to her sleeping father, with no knowledge that the man's time was limited.

"Daddy, when you wake up, I got so much to show you." She spoke softly, hoping that the man would somehow hear it. "I've been doing great in school. I even got straght A's on my report card!" She said excitedly. Christa sat down next to the girl as she waited for her to finish. The girl scooted her chair closer to the bed, leaning closer as she continued to speak to the sleeping man. "Mom is looking for a new job. She said that she needs too while you're sick." Christa silently listened to the poor girl list off things, like new things they bought for his return, and other things that have been happening in her life that she thought her father might have loved to hear. Suddenly, the sound of sniffling made it's way into Christa's ears, and her gaze turned onto the poor girl.

"Little girl?" It had finally just occurred to Christa, that neither she nor Big John knew the names of the family, it it racked Christa with guilt. "Are you okay?" She asked, placing a hand on the little girl's shoulder. The little girl turned around, placing her tear-filled gaze on Christa.

"Why won't he wake up?!" She asked, distraught. Christa had no idea what to say to the poor girl. She couldn't tell her that her father was dying, that wasn't her place. She wanted to make the girl happy, give her hope, but that would also be cruel. She honestly didn't know what to say. "Why won't he wake up, Miss Lenz?" The girl asked as she threw herself onto Christa, wrapping her arms around the young woman. "He was awake before!" She sobbed.

Christa silently sighed. "What's your name?" The girl slowly looked up at Christa when she heard the question. She wiped her nose, sniffling as she spoke.

"Clara." She answered softly. Christa gave a gentle smile.

"Clara. That's a nice name." She complimented.

Clara nodded. "My dad picked it. It was his grandma's name."

Christa's eyes widened. "Oh." Bad subject.

"Miss Lenz?" Clara's little voice caught tore Christa apart, and her tear stained face definitely didn't help.

"Yes, sweetie?"

Clara's lip quivered. "Why won't my dad wake up?!" She yelled in anguish, gripping Christa evem tighter, her entire body shaking in sadness. Christa felt her heart shatter, and she decided what to do. It may be cruel, but it would be better than to let the child suffer.

"He will." She said, causing Clara to look up at him. "I'm sure of it."

"You are?" Clara asked, her body calming down at Christa's words.

Christa nodded, giving off a warm smile. "Of course. He's only sick." She said. She felt awful for giving the poor girl false hope, but it was better than letting her suffer. "I'm sure the doctors will have something to help him within the next few days."

Clara sniffled. "Really?"

Christa nodded. "I'm sure of it."

"Okay." Clara said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Christa's smile seemed to get even bigger. Suddenly, both of the girls attention was drawn to the hospital bed, where a weak voice groaned.

"Daddy?" Clara asked, her little eyes widening in hope. The soldier's eyes slowly looked at Clara, as he recognized the voice.

"Clara?" He asked, forcing his eyes to open all the way. Clara smiled joyfully as she rushed the man.

"Daddy! You're awake!" She yelled, wrapping her arms around the man as she gave him a hug.

Christa watched the scene with joy. A second later, Marie walked in the room with a cup full of something, a blue liquid, as she approached the man. "Mr. Sawyer, We have the cure." She informed them, causing Christa and the man's own eyes to widen in shock.

"Really?" He asked in shock, as Marie approached. The woman smiled.

"We sure do. It's right here." She said as she lowered the glass to the man's lips, allowing him to drink the blue liquid until the glass was gone.

"That tastes horrible." The man remarked once he had finished the drink. Marie chuckled.

"Maybe, but now you'll be getting better." She commented. Christa tilted her head in confusion.

"How did you get it?" She asked. "I thought the flower that was needed only grew in Wall Maria."

Marie grinned. "Thank your boyfriend. He's the one who found the flower." Christa's face turned red at her words.

"He's not my boyfriend!" She yelled in embarrassment. Marie laughed at Christa's reaction.

"Right. Anyway, Big John's the one who found it." Marie explained. "If you want to know how we got it, ask him." She said as she left the room.

"Um, Miss Lenz?" Clara's small voice drew in Christa's attention once more, and she noticed that the man had fallen back asleep.

"Yes, Clara?"

"Can I... Can I meet Mr. John?" Christa laughed at the name for the giant of the 104th.

"Sure you can. Just follow me." She said as she left the soldier's room, with little Clara in tow. She spotted Big John sitting in one of the chairs, and she guessed that he was waiting on someone. Probably her.

"John!" She yelled, loud enough to catch the man's attention. He smiled when he spotted her, standing to his feet.

"What's up?" He asked as they closed the distance to each other.

"You have someone who wants to say thank you." Christa told him with a small smile as she motioned for Clara to move in front of her. Big John laughed, and Christa was holding back snickers of her own as they looked at the wide-eyed stare of Clara as craned her neck to look up at Big John. Once they had stopped there laughing, they waited as Clara asked her question.

"Are you Mr. John?" She asked.

Big John chuckled. "Now that's a new one." He remarked, crouching down to one knee, so that the little girl wasn't straining her neck to try and look at Big John. "Just call me Big John."

Clara slowly nodded. The little girl was shy to complete strangers. "Okay. I wanted to say thank you."

Big John tilted his head, but he had a pretty good idea of what she was thanking him for. "Why?"

"You saved my dad." She said. "The nice lady with the same jacket said that you found what made him better."

Big John nodded, a warm smile on his face. "I just found an ingredient. It's the nice lady who made him better." He said.

"Still, thank you." Clara said. Big John chuckled.

"No problem. Why don't you get back to your father. He'll probably wanna see you when he wakes up." Big John advised. The girl nodded and ran back down the hall, disappearing into her father's room. Big John turned to look at Christa.

"How did you-"

"She's the same age as my sister." Big John explained. "So I had a pretty good idea of what to say."

Christa nodded. "That explains it." She remarked. "So how did you get the flower, anyway?" She asked, looking up at him.

Big John sighed at her question. "It's personal."

"Oh. Sorry." Christa didn't push any further, as they left the hospital, there work there done already.

* * *

The walk back to the dorms was made in awkward silence for most of it, but when they reached the training area, Big John broke it.

"So, what made you think I was angry, anyway?" He asked, stopping. Christa stopped, but was silent for a moment, not quite expecting his sudden question, or it's topic. Once she finally realized what he had asked, her face went a little red.

"Why?" She asked quietly, turning away from him so her hair hid his face. Big John raised his eyebrow.

"I'm just curious. I mean, you didn't make me angry, and I don't exactly know what you could've done." He explained. "I'm just curious." Christa was silent for a moment, before saying something so quietly, Big John had to strain his ears to hear it.

"I thought I had made you angry when I kissed you."

Big John did a double take. "Come again?"

This time Christa turned to look at him, and Big John was shocked to find tears welling up in her eyes. "I thought you were angry when I kissed you, okay?!" She said, before turning away, and Big John could actually hear her sniffling.

His eyes were wide. "During Truth or Dare night?" He asked.

"Yes!" Christa yelled, but still refused to look at him. "I thought you were angry when I kissed you, so I stayed away from you so that you didn't have to see me. I figured that would be what you wanted." She explained, finally turning her gaze to meet his, and Big John felt awful at seeing her tear stained face.

"Why're you crying?" He asked slowly, approaching her.

"It's been a few weeks since that night, so I thought you might have forgotten." Christa admitted. "But then you asked, and I thought it would remind you and that you would be mad again and I-" She started rambling on, her speech speeding up to incomprehensible levels. But she stopped talking when she suddenly felt Big John's large arms wrap around her waist. She looked up at him, finding a reassuring smile on his features.

"I was never mad. And I hadn't forgotten." He explained. "Christa, it hurt me more when you were actively avoiding me, than it did being kissed by the cutest girl in the 104th." He told her. Christa normally would've blushed, if she wasn't so shocked at the admission. "And it didn't just hurt because you were a friend."

"You mean the kiss..." She trailed off, too shocked to finish the thought. Big John chuckled, putting his finger under her chin, before leaning and planting his lips on hers. Christa's eyes widened at the gesture, before her eyes close slowly, her arms wrapping around Big John's neck as she leaned into the kiss herself. When they parted, they stared at each other for a moment.

"Your feelings weren't unreturned, Christa." He admitted, bringing his thumb up to wipe away her tears. "I did some thinking, and Thomas talked some sense into me."

"Thomas?" Christa tilted her head in confusion. Big John chuckled at how adorable she looked.

"Yes, Thomas." He confirmed. "He told me my best bet was to be forward with you. And thinking back on it, I realized I had a crush on you."

"Really?" She asked in surprise.

"I've always been one for my honesty." He grinned. "Now, it may only be a crush, but I say we give it a chance." He told her.

Christa didn't say anything, for a moment, before smiling and jerking Big John down, earning a grunt of shock from the tall boy. She reached herself up in another lip lock with him, of which Big John happily returned. When they parted, gone was the sad girl from a second ago, in it's place the grinning female in front of him. "Does that answer your question, Mister?"

Big John grinned. "Yes ma'am!" He said excitedly. Christa giggled.

"So does this mean we're together?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Ain't I supposed to ask you that?" Big John remarked, eliciting another giggle from the girl.

"I'll take that as yes then." Christa said. Big John chuckled.

"So, do you wanna keep it a secret for now, or..." Big John trailed off. Christa smiled.

"I know you're open and honest, so how about this?" They separated, and she took his hand in her's, their fingers intertwining together. He looked at her. "We'll walk back like this, and if no one notices, then we'll tell them if they ask."

Big John nodded. "So in other words, don't just go around saying it to everybody. I think I can handle that." He said with a grin. "But," He let go of her hand, and she looked at him, confused. "Before we go back, I have something I would like to show you."

"Okay..." Christa said slowly as Big John turned around.

"Can you jump up on my back?" He asked, turning to look at her. She furrowed her brow, but complied none the less. Walking up behind him, jumped atop his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and lifting her legs up to catch him.

"What are you planning?" She asked him as he took a deep breath, steadying his nerves for what he was about to do.

"You asked me how I got that flower for the soldier, right?" He asked her, turning back to look at her. "This probably would've been a good idea to do before just now, but...just do me a favor, don't think of me differently. Please." He pleaded. She tilted her head in confusion, before she instinctively found herself gripping his neck as he started running. Looking at her surroundings, she quickly noticed that Big John was running surprisingly fast despite the weight on his back. Not like she weighed that much in the first place, but still. He was also running faster than she had seen any human do. But all of those thoughts left her mind as he shouted one final thing. "Hold on!"

Suddenly, she found herself screaming as much as her voice and lungs would allow, as Big John literally jumped high enough to clear the tree line, sending them about a mile away from the training camp. Her arms clamped together in a death grip, and to her surprise, he didn't complain. She continued to scream as Big John landed, cracking the ground a little, before using his massive amount of momentum to push off even higher, soaring further than the first leap. At this point Christa wasn't counting how far he was jumping, her main priority was to stay latched on to him despite the wind. Her lungs kept themselves active as her voice continued to scream. Fortunately for her, after a few more bounds, Big John landed on top of the Trost Wall of Wall Rose.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Christa screeched as she let go, dropping off of Big John.

"Christa, please calm down." He gently urged.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Christa yelled in slight fear. "You just jumped your way to the top the Trost Wall from the training grounds! No normal person can do that!" Big John's face visibly fell, and it didn't escape Christa's attention the look of hurt that crossed his face.

"I'm...sorry." He said quietly. "I wanted to show you so that I wasn't hiding anything from you." Christa was still breathing heavily, but his downcast look caused a pang of guilt to shoot through her heart, and his words did not help.

"Show me what?" She asked quietly. Big John sat down on the edge of the wall, his legs dangling off the side as he spoke.

"Three days before Shinganshina fell, Me, Decon, and Rex found a cave." He informed. She tilted her head as he began his tale. "After that, we blacked out. We woke up a few hours before the Colossal Titan showed up, each with our own freaky things."

"Like what?" Christa was curious, as she sat down next to him.

"Rex can move things with his mind, and Decon can run so fast he's a blur."

"What about you?" She was more curious about him than the other two, not that she didn't care for them.

"I'm the strongest and toughest man to ever live. The heaviest thing I've ever lifted was a boulder outside where my sister and Eren's mom lives, and even then I only used one hand." He finally revealed his own abilities.

"Is that how you were able to jump so far? Your leg muscles?" Christa asked, any fear from earlier replaced by wonder. Big John nodded.

"Yeah. And as cool as they are, I honestly think the other two had the better deal." He admitted. Christa tilted her head.

"Why's that?" She asked him. She watched as he looked at his own hands, and for the first time, she saw fear flash across his eyes.

"Our powers grow more powerful every day. That includes me becoming stronger and stronger. Everything in the world becomes more fragile. Even the walls. And that completely and utterly terrifies me." He finally turned to look at Christa. 

Christa's eyes widened at the admission. "How strong are you?"

Big John shook his head. "I don't know. And I hate that."

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Christa. She turned away from Big John, her finger on her chin in thought. "Blur, Flyer..." Her gaze slowly moved to the tall man sitting next to her. "Titan slayer."

Big John cracked an empty grin. "That's right." His gaze turned back towards the outside of Wall Rose. "It's me, Decon, and Rex." He turned his head to look at Christa. "We're Shinganshina Saviors."

Christa balked at the admission, her eyes wide as saucers as she looked at the giant sitting next to her. No wonder they were so much better than everyone! They literally had powers. They were better than everyone. "Who else knows about this?" She asked. Big John was silent for a few moments. "John?"

"Eren, Mikasa, Armin, my sister, and Eren's mom." He revealed. Before she could say anything else, Big John stood up. "Look, if you think of me as a freak, then that's your choice, but please don't tell anybody." He pleaded. Christa's eyes widened at his words. Is that really what he thought? She watched as he turned around. "if you want, I can take you back to the training grounds and we can forget about-"

"I don't want to forget!" Big John turned around when she said that, grunting in surprise as the girl ran into him, wrapping her arms around Big John's torso, having got to her feet while he was facing away.

"Christa?" He was honestly confused. He was not expecting this.

"Yes, these powers may make things difficult, but that doesn't change how I see you!" She admitted. Big John's eyes widened in shock. "I still see you as a kind-hearted man, who will do anything to protect those he cares about!"

"Really?" He could slowly feel a growing wetness on his shirt, as her grip got even tighter on him. 

"I just got my chance to be with you! I don't want to lose that!" She sobbed. Big John's heart stopped as the meaning behind her words sunk in. "I'll keep you secret if that's what it takes, but please don't take this chance away from me!"

Slowly, Big John wrapped his arms around Christa, as he felt tears well up in his eyes for the first time in years. He thought Christa had rejected him because of his powers, to find out otherwise, well, he wasn't going to waste this chance. He held onto her, as if she would disappear if he let go, and slowly laid his head on top her hers. "I won't." He assured, in an attempt to comfort her. "I won't."

* * *

"What it taking her so long?" Ymir asked herself as she paced, anxiously waiting for Christa to return.

"Come on! You're worrying way too much!" Mina assured, as she looked at the brunette with a roll of her eyes.

"Yeah, seriously, chill out Ymir." Sasha said, sitting on top of her bunk.

"She was only going to the hospital!" Ymir exclaimed. "She should've been back by now."

"Maybe something came up?" Mina proposed. "Either way, just because she isn't back yet doesn't mean something's wrong."

Ymir sighed, finally sitting herself down on her bunk. "It just makes me nervous. Christa has never been out this late. It's past curfew!"

"Whoa, you, nervous?" Sasha joked, earning a glare from the brunette.

"I mean, that is unusual, but it doesn't mean anything bad." Mina assured. "What do you think, Mikasa?"

The black haired girl barely rolled herself over to answer, already laying on her bunk. "I think it means Christa ended up being occupied. She'll probably be here any minute." As if on cue, a knocking sound emanating from the window caught most of their girls attention. Well, anyone who was still awake. The were shocked to find Christa peering into the elevated window, somehow, gesturing towards the lock. Ymir was quick to react, standing up and dashing towards the window, undoing the lock. "Where the hell have you been?!" She screeched, helping the small blonde in through the window.

"I'll explain in a second, but please cut him some slack!" Her words caused some of the other girls to perk up, in confusion, with some having grins on her face. Ymir wasn't too happy though.

"Him?! Who is-?!"

"John, come on!" Ymir's rant was interrupted by Christa's words, and all attention turned to the window, where everyone stared shell-shocked as the resident giant of the 104th jumped up to the window with a grunt, flipping himself into the room with a thud.

"Ow! This would have been easier if we went through the boys cabin!" Big John remarked, pulling himself up, as Christa rushed to help him.

"Are you alright?" She asked in concern, grabbing his arm in an attempt to help in stand up. Big John nodded with a chuckle.

"I'm fine, Christa! I'm more worried about how the other girls will react." He commented as he stood to his full height, looking at Christa with a smile.

"Oh, I don't think it will me too bad." Christa said, before a fellow blonde spoke up.

"What are you doing her?" Annie asked in slight confusion, although she had a pretty good idea what's going on.

"I'll tell everyone in a second!" She exclaimed, before turning to Big John. "You need to get back to the boys cabin before Shadis finds out."

"Got it!" He acknowledged, before leaning down and giving Christa a quick kiss in front of the rest of girls, which she returned with joy. "I'll see you tomorrow." He spoke before running away with a grin, opening and closing the door behind him with surprisingly little noise, leaving behind a smiling Christa and a cabin full of shell-shocked bunk-mates.

"Christa!" Mina's joyful voice caught Christa's attention. "We need details!"

"How'd this happen?" Ymir asked, a smirk on her face, the worry from before vanishing as she realized what had happened.

Christa's face went red as she realized what they all thought. "Nothing like that!"

"Like what?" Sasha asked. "Did you two do it?"

"No!" She yelled in embarrassment, earning a chuckle from the other girls.

"So you two are together now?" Mikasa asked Christa, to which she nodded. For the first time any of the cadets had seen, Mikasa Ackarman smiled at someone other than who she normally hangs out with. "Congratulations."

"Okay..." Ymir said slowly, not expecting that reaction from the normally stoic and silent Orient. "Anyway, how'd you two get together?"

"He went with me to the hospital, and on the way back, he asked me why I was avoiding him." She explained. Mina tilted her head.

"Why were you avoiding him, anyway?" She asked, and Christa blushed in embarrassment.

"I thought I made him mad when we played Truth or Dare." She admitted, causing the other three to laugh, including Mikasa.

"I can assure you," She spoke, catching their attention. "Big John isn't gonna get mad over something like that."

"I know that now." She said very quietly.

"So, what happened?" Sasha asked. Christa sighed, before smiling, a small blush tinting her features at the memory.

"He told me that he was never angry, and that hurt more when I was avoiding him." She said. "He told me that my feelings weren't unreturned." Her blush got even more prominent as she spoke again. "Then he kissed me."

Mina had a smile from ear to ear as she looked at Christa's blushing face. "Aw, that's cute!" She gushed.

Ymir smirked. "The biggest boy and the cutest girl. That sounds like a pretty perfect match." She remarked, causing Christa to look at her.

"You really think so?"

"It probably also helps that everyone knew you two liked each other." Sasha commented. Christa eyes widened.

"Really?" She asked. Annie took this time to speak up.

"It was so painfully obvious to everybody but you two." She remarked, everyone nodding in agreement.

"Oh." Christa muttered softly. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. "You know, on the way back, Big John told me about a deal he made with Thomas." She informed. Most of the girls looked at her, curious. Mina, however, had her eyes widen in slightly.

"Really? What was it?" Sasha asked. Christa smiled, turning to Mina.

"Let's ask Mina." She said, all attention turning to the pig-tailed girl. "Me and Big John weren't the only people to get together today, were we?"

"No." She admitted. "Me and Thomas are together now."

Ymir's eyes widened. "Really?"

"I thought he was always so shy." Sasha remarked. Mina giggled.

"He still is, but he mad a deal with Big John: he would ask me out, and Big John would be straight forward with Christa." She admitted. She laughed as she remembered something else. "Big John had told him that me and Thomas sorta reminded him of Hannah and Franz." She told them, her gaze slowly turning to look at the sleeping ginger.

Ymir laughed. "I can see where he's coming from, there."

"You know, I wonder if he'll end up talking some sense into those two." Sasha wondered. "What do you think Mikasa?" She asked, turning to look at the person she shared the bottom bunk with, only to find the black haired girl slightly snoring.

Ymir smirked. "You know, she has the right idea." She remarked. "It would probably be a good idea to head to sleep, before Shadis finds out."

"Probably." Christa nodded, crawling to her side of the bunk towards the wall, allowing Ymir to lay down. Christa promptly snuffed out the flame in her lantern.

"Okie dokie. Good night, everybody." Sasha said, extinguishing her own lantern and laying down, closing her eyes to sleep. Mina put out her lantern, before laying down with a few final words.

"Good night, girls."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay, so I know I probably rushed this, since it's only chapter four, and I do plan on adding extra chapters to build upon the relationship the OC's have with everybody, but my main focus during the training camp bit is the relationship between the Big John and Christa. So I'm getting that done, and then I'm moving onto the Trost arc. Once I'm finished with Trost is when I'll probably fix the boot camp arc. If not that, then I'll have flashback chapters. I'll leave that up to you readers. Anyway, I do hope you guys enjoyed this chapter of 'The Three Guardians', and don't forget to leave a kudos and a comment if you did. The next chapter will either be a date chapter, focus on one of the other OC's, or be the bandit bit.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After some disagreements, Decon decides to confide in a loved one to see if he was wrong. Meanwhile, Christa and Big John uncover more about each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never really felt the need to put author's notes on this story, since it's not really all that popular, but I felt the need to address this.
> 
> (Review was left on FanFiction.Net)
> 
> Guesttido: Wait, don't tell me. Everything will be like the cannon when whole Trost thing happens, the OCs get their secrets revealed, the characters who died during the events in Trost will still die because of cannon, everyone sees the OCs as threats with a bunch of arguing follow by Erwin doing his speech thing while Levi does his thing and blah blah blah.
> 
> Sorry, but I am sick and tired of seeing the same damn thing over and over again in these fanfics. You need to spice thing up and not be another "copy & paste" fanfic, especially when you gave the OCs certain powers that can pervent certain things from happening. Unless, of course, you make up some dumb exuse like so many writers do but in truth are too afraid of messing up the cannon and have the OCs become stupid just so that certain things happen like in the cannon.
> 
> There's no paraphrasing either, I copied and pasted that and those were his exact words. Here's my response.
> 
> 1\. There is absolutely nothing wrong with following the main canon. It's always nice to see how fans incorporate there own characters, even if it doesn't change the story.
> 
> 2\. Just because a fanfic follows the canon for a bit doesn't mean it isn't going to branch off and take a hard left turn. Not every story that follows the canon is a "copy and paste" fanfic.
> 
> 3\. You are right, and these abilities has already prevented something from happening. If you think Eren wouldn't join the SC if his mom was alive, you'd be wrong, as he was dead set on joining before she died. Her death only reinforced that drive.
> 
> 4\. Just because the canon goes on doesn't mean the OC's are dumb. That's a bit rude to even tell someone that when they write these types of fics.
> 
> 5\. You speak as if you know how my story will play out. You can assume such, but I assure you, you have no idea how it will play out, and you will not until I get some more of this done.
> 
> Let me say this to anyone who reads this thinking they'll hate on it like they have a right to: I can't stop you from disliking the story, and while I do appreciate helpful criticism, if you literally just take the time to write a review that explains why my story sucks, why it's horrible, every little thing I'm doing wrong, how I can't write a story, etc. then I will respond in kind.
> 
> There is a difference between constructive criticism and hate. Read some of the story. Oh, you dislike it? Close the damn page. There is literally no need to leave a review at all, or do anything beyond reading, just close the fucking page and leave it at that.
> 
> Anyway, now that my rant is over, on with the story.

After the night in the girls cabin, Big John and Christa's relationship quickly became common knowledge, despite Christa not wanting to flaunt it. Big John respected her wishes, but the girls wasted no time sharing it with the boys, so their relationship became common knowledge pretty quickly. Big John had informed the others a few days later that Christa knew their secret, but not everyone thought that was a good idea.

"Are you fucking stupid? What if she tells everyone, man? What about Ymir?" Decon said in outrage, glaring at Big John, while Rex, Armin, Eren, and Mikasa watched.

"She won't." Big John growled. "I know she won't."

"Do you? Or are you just thinking with the wrong brain?!" Decon snarked back. Big John's eyes widened, before he gritted his teeth.

"You little-!" Big John went to grab Decon, but the boy stepped back as Mikasa stepped between them.

"This needs to stop!" Mikasa said, catching the two's attention, although neither turned to look at her. "Every time you two talk about her, it always devolves into an argument! In the last few months, you two have been arguing more than anyone else!"

"She's right. You two need to have a discussion about all this, try and come to an agreement or something." Armin said, attempting to calm them down as well.

"But it's a bad idea!" Decon turned to the others.

"No one's saying it's not Decon." Eren replied, to Big John's displeasure.

"Excuse me? I seem to remember you being happy for me!" Big John said, turning to look at Eren, who's eyes widened in surprise.

"I am, don't get me wrong! But-"

"Look, we're all happy for you, John, don't think for one second we're not." Rex said, stopping Eren from talking himself into a hole with the bulky teen. "But Decon is raising some good points. Ever since she's come into you're life, you've been different. I'm supposed to be the hot head, but you get angrier more often than I do." Rex explained their view. "I mean hell, are you sure it was a good idea to tell her the truth the very day you get together?"

"Well I'm not gonna lie to her! I hate lying, you all know that!" Big John responded

"We're not asking you to lie, John." Armin responded. "We're just saying, do you know for sure that you can trust her?"

"What do you mean?" Big John asked, calming down slightly.

"Look, Christa is a good person, but you've only known her for five months." Mikasa spoke up again, catching Big John's attention.

"And you've known us for a lifetime." Eren said, finishing off Mikasa's point. "Maybe you should've waited."

"How many of you know her like I do?" Big John asked. "I wouldn't have told her if I didn't trust her."

"But it's not just your secret." Rex said. "It's ours. Me, you, and Decon. At the very least, you should've talked to us before telling her about us as well."

"He's right, John." Armin said, everyone else nodding in agreement.

Realizing he was outnumbered, Big John sighed. "You know what? I don't care what you guys think. I like her, and I trust her. So I was going to tell her, whether you agreed or not. I know her well enough to know that she'll keep it a secret. That's all that matters."

"No it's not!" Decon said with a sigh of frustration, although Big John ignored him. When the giant turned around and began walking away, Decon called after him. "Where are you going, John?"

"To spend time with my girlfriend." Big John called back. Decon sighed in exasperation.

"This is what I'm talking about! He just blows us off for that girl. I swear-"

"Decon, stop." Eren said, catching the teen's ire.

"I thought you were on our side." Decon replied.

"None of us are on either side. And I think that's the way Big John likes it." Armin corrected.

"But-"

"Look, Decon. We didn't agree with Big John's choice, but like him with Christa, I think I speak for us all when I say that we trust his judgement." Rex said in annoyance, earning nods of agreement from everyone else.

"How can you disagree with his choice but trust his judgement?"

"I disagree with the timing. But Big John has gotten to know Christa better than all of us. I feel like we can trust Christa, but we just wanted to let Big John know that he should think it through before telling our secret." Rex explained.

"But you need to stop hounding John about Christa." Mikasa said sternly. "She has done nothing wrong, and John's change stems from the feelings they have developed, and I think it's going to turn out to be more than a simple crush. But you hounding John is exactly what he doesn't want. John likes Christa, and we all know Christa likes John. There's nothing wrong with that. You need to leave them alone, otherwise you and John won't be friends for too much longer." Mikasa finished, and turned away, the others following her, leaving Decon alone with his thoughts.

* * *

 _'Thank god for break days.'_ Christa thought as she waited for Big John to show up. Since today was a break day, and Big John hadn't been down at the stables with her for a while, they had decided before returning the night before that they would spend the day at the stables, and then do whatever afterwards. Christa didn't know if Big John had an idea, or if they were gonna figure out something to do afterwards. But either way, she was happy to be able to spend time with him again.

Upon spotting the man of her thoughts her excited smile grew, before it slowly began to falter as she spotted his downcast expression.

"John? Are you alright?" Christa asked as she closed the distance between her and Big John.

"Come here." Big John said when they stopped, leaning down and wrapping his arms around her, lips meeting for a quick kiss as Christa's hands wrapped around his neck.

"What's wrong?" Christa asked, looking up at him as they broke apart. Big John sighed.

"Everyone just jumped my ass about telling you the truth. And it doesn't help that any time you come up, Decon has to interrogate the fuck outta me." Big John explained, causing Christa to furrow her brow in confusion.

"Why are they mad at you?" Christa asked him.

"Apparently I should've discussed it with them first, and thought it through." Big John explained. Christa looked down for a bit, before looking back up to Big John with a smile.

"I don't know what they think, but I'm glad you trusted me enough to tell me." Christa said, standing on her tippy toes and kissing John, before breaking apart with a joking grin. "Even if it was a bit terrifying at first."

Big John laughed sheepishly. "My bad." He said, before an all out grin broke out on his face. "How about we get to the stables. We got some work to do."

Christa laughed as they began the trek towards the stables, hand in hand. "You know, now I know why work always seemed easy to you, even in the hot days."

Big John laughed himself. "Hey, no matter how easy it is, a hot day is a hot day, and activity works up a sweat." He said, before huffing. "Cold doesn't affect me, and extreme heat doesn't either, but I can still work up a sweat. How does that even work?"

"How do your powers even work?" Christa countered, to Big John's amusement.

"Touché."

"So, I don't mean to sour your mood, but does Decon not like me? Is that why you two are always fighting?" Christa asked, looking up at her boyfriend, who sighed.

"No, it ain't that. It's..." Big John went silent for a moment, before looking at Christa. "You've changed me Christa. In more ways than you realize."

"What do you mean?" Christ asked, head tilted curiously in that way that everyone found so cute.

Big John laughed. "Before I met you, I was a scrapper. I loved fighting. I admit that I enjoyed it because I could cut loose the smallest little bit." Big John explained, turning to look at her. "Remember the first day of boot camp, when me and Jean were a punch away from a brawl?"

"The day I met you." Christa recalled fondly. "I still remember the fear I felt, stepping in between two men taller than me, one of which was an almost 7-foot blood-eyed behemoth." She looked up at him, a look that Big John couldn't quite place in her eyes. "Who would've thought that behemoth would be the man I'm dating five months later."

"You're braver than you give yourself credit for." Big John said with a laugh. "Most people I know would rather slack off than be Mikasa's opponent."

"Hey, she hits hard." Christa said, still remembering how sore she was the first week of combat practice after being stuck with Mikasa as her partner.

"She holds back more than usual for you and Armin. She hides a lot of strength." Big John explained with a laugh. "Before I got my powers, Mikasa could go to hug me and lift me clean off the ground, and I was still twice her size."

Christa's eyes widened. "Wow."

Big John nodded with a smile. "Yeah. She doesn't mean to hurt you. Believe me, you'd know if she did."

"How so?"

"You wouldn't be able to train for about three weeks, roughly. If you don't believe me, ask Franz."

"What happened?" Christa asked, looking up at him.

"Mikasa paid a little too much attention to a match between Annie and Eren. Long story short, Franz kissed the stone cliffside." Big John filled in.

"So that's why he had a purple face. Hannah took about six headbutts from Shadis just to stay in the room with him while he recovered." Christa said, shuttering as she remembered her own headbutt from the man. Her face went red from embarrassment as she remembered finding out that she had dropped in front of Big John, who had carried her to the girls cabin, where Ymir laid her down.

"We've strayed way off topic. The point is that I've had something that means more to me than fighting. I have since that day in the mess hall, and it took me this long to realize it." Big John finished, looking at Christa with a smile that he reserved for the ones he loved.

"You know, I think this is more than just a crush." Christa said, returning his smile with one of her own.

"I couldn't have said it better myself." Big John replied. "I love you."

"I love you too." Christa replied. Big John leaned down for a kiss, and they broke apart as they made it to the stables. The moment was quickly ruined.

"Oh great. Horse shit." Big John said as they let each other's hands go, Big John trying to wipe away the smell.

"I can get it." Christa said, causing Big John to look at her.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. I need you to do the heavy lifting." Christa said, eliciting a laugh from Big John.

"Oh, so I'm just a grunt now?" Big John said with mock hurt.

"Yes you are, so get to it!" Christa said, running along with the joke.

"I live to serve, my queen." Big John said with a mock bow, causing Christa to flinch.

"Please don't do that." Christa said, causing Big John to stand back up.

"Something wrong?" He asked, a look of concern on his face.

"Just some bad memories." She answered. Big John flinched.

"My bad."

Christa appreciated his kindness. "It's alright. Let's get to work. I can relax when we are tending to the stables."

Big John nodded. "No problem. What do you need me to get?"

"The hay needs to be given to the horses, as usual. But you think you can help me get some water for the horses afterwards?" Christa asked, causing Big John's eyes to widen.

"Why do you need my help for that?" Big John asked in confusion.

"The water pump is broken and they haven't fixed it yet, so the only way I can get water is from the lake." Christa explained, her eyes moving down. "If you don't want to-"

"No, no, it's fine." Big John said with a chuckle. "I'll help you with anything you need." His response caused Christa to smile.

"Thanks John." She said as the two shared another kiss, before getting to work. The two worked silently, simply happy to be in each-other's presence again. Since Christa knew of his abilities, Big John decided to forego the ladder, simply jumping up to the loft and grabbing two bales of hay in each hand. With a stable of eight horses on each side, it would take John a little bit to get done. In the meantime, Christa grabbed one of the shovels and one of the buckets that literally said 'Manure' on it, and began shoveling up undesirables from the stable.

"I'll help you with that when I'm done." Big John said with a smile as he dumped a bale of hay into the first stable, which happened to be the one she was working on. Christa immediately began to protest, shaking her head.

"No, no. I got it." Christa said, looking at Big John, who chuckled.

"I know, but two hands are better than one." Big John replied as he dumped another bale of hay. Christa sighed.

"Okay then." Christa relented, knowing that she couldn't argue with Big John on the matter.

Big John laughed as he continued, dumping the next to bales before walking back and jumping up to the loft to retrieve some more. As he began to dump more, Christa asked him a question.

"Hey, Big John?" Christa called out as she finished in that stable and moved to another.

"Yeah?"

"I don't know much about your life before the fall." She said. "Just stuff said in passing."

Big John furrowed his brow, a teasing grin on her face. "I don't know much about your life either, come to think of it." He said as he dumped the last hay bail. "I'll tell you what. You ask me a question, and then I ask you a question, back and forth. But we have to answer honestly." He said as he jumped up to the loft, getting a third set of hay bales. Christa thought for a moment. She wasn't sure if she was ready to tell him about her childhood. What would he think if he knew she came from royalty? That Christa Lenz wasn't her real name? Would he think it was all an act? Would he not believe her?

'No. John's not like that. He wouldn't have told me the truth if he didn't trust me. Trust like that usually takes a long time to build.' Christa thought as she watched the man dump hay bale after hay bale. 'If he believes he can trust me, I should trust him the same way...'

"So?" Big John spoke up as he dumped the last of that set, looking at Christa with a slight smile. Christa slowly nodded.

"Sure." She agreed, looking at him as she moved to another stall. Big John smiled as he jumped up to the loft to grab the final set of hay bales. "So, who did you live with in Shiganshina?"

Christa's eyes widened as Big John froze, a haunted look coming over him, which quickly shifted to anger, before shaking his head with a sigh.

"Me and my sister lived with our stepfather. I don't think he made it through the titan invasion." Big John answered. Christa's eyes widened, immediately regretting her question.

"I'm so sorry, John." Big John snorted.

"Don't be." He said as he dumped the last set of hay bales. "He'd smack the fuck outta my sister for nothing and beat me unconscious. Trust me, He don't deserve an ounce of pity for even a second." Christa's eyes widened as she finished a stable before leaning the shovel against the corner and leaving the stable, looking at John in sadness. The fact that this kind soul had gone through that hell... "Anyway, my turn." He said, the smile in his voice as he turned around and flashed it at her.

Christa was shocked at his sudden change of mood, before smiling. "Okay."

"So, where did you grow up?" Big John asked. Christa looked down for a moment, before looking back up at him.

"I grew up on a small farm in Wall Sina." She admitted, causing Big John's eyes to bulge out of their sockets.

"Really?" He asked in surprise. "You're from Wall Sina?" When she nodded, he smiled ear-to-ear, to her surprise. "Come here!" Christa gasped as Big John bent down and kissed her for a few seconds, before breaking apart.

"What was that about?" Christa asked. "Not that I didn't enjoy it, but-"

"Most people from the interior are complete assholes. To come across someone so nice and kind..." Big John trailed off as he placed his hands on her sides, Christa reaching her arms up around his neck. "Let me just say that the title of Goddess does not do justice to describe what kind of person you are." Christa blushed at his praise.

"John..."

"I'm serious!" Big John said. "You are a one of a kind woman, one who only wants to help, one who is leaving the interior to fight in the exterior. To fight for what is ours." With each word, her face got redder and redder. "You truly are a goddess." Christa looked up at him.

"And you are the god I want." Christa said, causing John's eyes to widen in shock.

"I don't know about that..."

"I do." Christa said, her words full of conviction. "You are one of the most kind souls I have ever met, with the strength to rival gods. You have your faults, and your strengths, just like anyone else, and you aren't afraid to admit them. You are almost seven feet tall, and you have arms thicker than a titan's skin." Christa stopped for a moment, reaching her hand up to his cheek as she pulled him into another kiss, this one more passionate than the one before. "You may not be a god to everyone, but you are a god to me." Christa said as the separated, staring into the crimson eyes that belonged to John Gallagher. Big John smiled, unable to form a reply to what he'd just heard, so he settled for three simple words.

"I love you.

"And I love you."

* * *

Decon sighed as he ran. Since today was a free day, he decided to let off some steam the best way he knew how: running. Whenever he was aggravated, he would run. Sometimes he would run along the top of the walls, sometimes he'd see how long it would take him to run from one end of Wall Rose, through Wall Sina, and to the other side of Wall Rose. Other times, he just loved to run, to see everything pass by him in an instant. He knew he could easily beat and outrace the titans, but he didn't feel comfortable leaving Wall Rose alone. At least, not right now.

"Fucking John and that damn girl." Admittedly, Decon didn't have a problem with Christa. She was a nice girl, good looking too, but his problem was the change in Big John. Ever since they had met, Big John had changed slowly, becoming more and more peaceful. That wasn't a bad change, but it didn't suit Big John. Big John was supposed to be the rowdy fighter, who loves those he cares about, but didn't care what anyone thinks. He still remembered the day after the titan invasion. At first, no one thought Big John would recover from what he saw that day.

* * *

_The others weren't quite sure what to make of the condition Big John had been in. He, Decon and Rex had returned from Wall Maria, and the giant had taken to following his sister around ever since, after graciously thanking Carla, telling the woman that Lucy could use a mother, rather than, in John's own words, "The fat bastard we've been stuck with." The entire time, Big John would keep his eyes locked on Lucy, determined to make sure no one would hurt her. It didn't matter where she went, Big John wasn't far behind, whether she knew it or not._

_"What do you make of Big John lately?" Rex asked Decon. Armin was with his grandfather, and Big John and Mikasa were watching over Lucy and Eren while Carla got some food for them. Big John's eyes watched the two, and the nearby area, like a sentry._

_"Whatever he was going on about yesterday probably had something to do with it." Decon said, watching their friends as they sat on their knees, watching over the other two. Eren's dad had popped up last night and taken him into the woods, only to disappear into the night, leaving Eren unconscious. Everyone knew that Big John looked upon them all as family, and he would do anything to keep them safe, no matter what. After what happened in the woods the night before, Carla had vowed never to allow Grisha to see Eren again. Big John was more than willing to follow through._

_"I don't know what he saw, but it fucked him up. He's been watching over Lucy like a damn hawk." Rex remarked. Decon nodded._

_"I know. And ever since Carla accepted Lucy as her daughter, he's been watching over Eren the same way."_

_Rex nodded. "Yeah... I'm gonna ask him what happened." His words caused Decon to gawk at him._

_"Are you crazy? Big John would've told us if he wanted us to know." Decon reasoned. "He'd tear you apart if you bug him about it before, and now, he's got the strength to literally follow through."_

_"I know, but I wanna know what it is that's got him all bent up. If something happens again, we'll need Big John Gallagher, not a broken man." Rex explained his own reasoning, as he began approaching Big John._

_"I'm telling you man, this is a bad idea." Decon said, but Rex waved him off as he stopped next to Big John._

_"Hey Big John?"_

_"Yeah?" Big John answered without even looking at Rex._

_"Are you alright?" Rex asked the man, his voice full of concern._

_"You're wanting to know why I'm acting like this, ain't you?" Big John hit the nail on the head, causing both Rex and Decon's eyes to widen in surprise, and quickly glance at each other. Mikasa barely glanced at him, her own eyes wide in surprise._

_"Um, yeah..." Rex said as he looked back at Big John, who sighed._

_"There was this little girl who wandered out into the grey fucker's path when he was charging the wall, and she cried out for her mother right as she got crushed under his foot." Big John explained, not even batting an eye, although they noticed his hand clench against his leg. They all knew Big John had a soft spot for children, especially since because of Lucy's age. And he_

_"Not to sound heartless, but why does that have you in a bind?" Decon asked. All three flinched when Big John's head jerked up to face them, pain, horror, and fear evident in his eyes._

_"She looked just like Lucy. Just fucking like her." Big John revealed, and they all immediately understand just what had happened. Big John had always feared that Charles would kill Lucy while he was out, and he swore that if that ever happened, he would make sure Charles never lived to see another day. And he had witnessed some who looked almost exactly like her get killed by a titan._

_"John?" Mikasa's voice caught Big John's attention, and he turned to look at the orient. The girl looked like she was going to cry from the story that she had just heard. Big John's eyes widened as she jumped towards him, flinging her arm around his neck in a comforting embrace. "I'm sorry that happened to you."_

_"It's not your fault, Mikasa. Not your fault at all." Big John said, returning the hug._

_"Jesus." Rex's voice caught John's attention as Mikasa let go of his neck. "If I knew it was that bad, I wouldn't have asked man."_

_"Eh, I planned on telling you anyway. I just needed to wrap my head around it, look at Luce long enough to assure myself it wasn't her." Big John explained. "Seeing something like that just fucks you up."_

_"I'd imagine." Decon said, walking around Rex and placing his hand on Big John's shoulder. "If you need us man, we're here." Rex and Mikasa both nodded at his words._

_Big John smiled. "Thanks, you guys. Really, I mean it." The tender moment was cut short, however, as a familiar voice cried out from outside._

_"LET GO OF ME!" Carla's voice echoed out. Big John jumped to his feet and ran passed the group and out the door, the other three not far behind. They were greeted with the site of a Military Police officer throwing Carla to the ground._

_"You fucking bitch, I'm gonna-!" The MP had no time to follow through, or even finish his threat, as Big John was on him in an instant. Big John delivered a powerful haymaker that knocked the MP to the ground, before holding him down with his left hand, his right delivering blow after blow to the man's face._

_"John, that's enough!" Rex said, but Big John either didn't hear him, or didn't care, as Big John's fist had now turned the MP's face into bloody bruise._

_"John, stop!" Decon said, coming up and attempting to pull him off, to no avail, as Big John easily pushed him to the ground, before waylaying into the MP some more. By this point, Big John had lost all connection to the world around him, his only focus being to cause as much pain as possible to the man who dared hurt the only other mother figure he and Lucy had._

_"John, please!" Mikasa begged, coming up behind him and attempting to pull him off herself, but Mikasa's small frame, even with her surprising strength, was no match for the force of nature that was John Gallagher. At this point, the man was near unconscious, and definitely blind in his left eye from how much the man's face had swelled. Eventually all three of them tried to get him off._

_"John, stop, you're gonna kill him!" Decon tried to reason with the giant._

_"Stop it!" Mikasa screamed._

_"John, if you don't stop you're gonna kill the man!" Rex said, doing his best to pull the man off, but the joint effort wasn't working. Big John abruptly stopped, however, when he felt two hands wrap around his fist. He looked at the owner, finding Carla staring at him with horror in her eyes._

_"John, that's enough. You're gonna kill the man." Carla said, refusing to let his fist go. Big John was panting as a result of his anger as he looked at the MP under him, before sighing. Everyone let go of Big John when it looked as though he was calming down, but everyone gasped when he delivered one last punch to the man, before jumping to his feet._

_"You hurt anyone else here and I will kill you." Big John left with that final warning, walking back to where the other two were sleeping._

* * *

That was the first glimpse of John getting better, though no one had seen it at first. The first glimpse of his enjoyment at fighting. As his enjoyment grew, his old self slowly returned, until they had John Gallagher back. The man had resorted to cage fighting to help make money, which he did at the bar he frequented. The only reason he was allowed inside at all was because the owner knew of the horrors of the titans, having been a lucky former Scout. Although, now he could be let in because people assumed that if you were old enough to join boot camp, you were old enough to drink. But getting back on topic, Big John always recovered to his usual self, no matter what had happened.

And that's what Decon didn't like.

'John breaks when something happens and slowly recovers, but lately, he's been slowly changing. He's easier to trigger, and he doesn't pick fights that much. And he's usually hanging out with Christa.' Decon thought as he slowed to a stop in an alley so that no one could see him. He then walked out of the alley and mixed in with the crowd of people. He usually did this whenever he wanted to be by himself, and his destination was usually always the same place: home.

Neither he or Rex lived with the others like everyone believed. He had moved in with his girlfriend, Sarah, after Wall Maria had fallen. Decon hated to admit it, so he didn't tell anyone, but he never had a home in Wall Maria. At all. His girlfriend had always lived in Wall Rose, and she was a only two years older than him. They hadn't gotten together until about a year ago. The only reason she owned a house at fifteen was the same reason Big John could walk into a bar. He opened the door to a small building on the street corner and walked inside.

"Sarah? It's me!" Not even a moment later, a woman came from around the corner, wearing absolutely nothing at all. Decon knew Sarah prefered to lounge around like this since no one was around to really see he like this, except him when he came around. He wasn't concerned about windows, since they both prefered to keep the curtains close. He didn't really get mad about it either, because he knew the woman would never cheat on him.

The fact that he had already seen her naked many times didn't hurt either.

"Dekky!" Sarah shouted, closing the distance in no time and jumping upon the man, wrapping her arms and legs around him and planting her lips upon his. Decon caught her effortlessly, this being normal between the two whenever he came by. "I missed you!" The woman said once she pulled away, her bubbly mood making Decon's day almost immediately.

"I missed you too." Decon said, planting another kiss on the woman's lips as he carried her to their couch. He sat down upon the thing, and looked up at Sarah who was now sitting upon his lap.

"I love you, but you usually only stop when something's wrong, you're on a dry spell, or it's a free day and your not hanging out with Big Johnny. And considering that I'm sitting on your lap on a Tuesday afternoon without something poking me, I'm going to go with number one." Sarah said, looking at Decon with questioning eyes and a slight smile. Decon sighed, before looking up at Sarah with a smile of his own.

"I don't even get a chance to lie, you figure it out," Decon snapped his fingers. "like that. You're an observant woman."

Sarah giggled. "So what's eating you?"

"John." Decon sighed as Sarah climbed off of his lap, taking a seat next to him. Sarah tilted her head, so Decon began to explain. "John met this girl the night we joined the cadets, and he's been changing ever since."

"Changing... how?" Sarah asked.

Decon sighed and he unconsciously stood up. "John's always been the fighter of the group. And yet, he's gotten even easier to anger, but he hardly ever picks a fight." He explained. Sarah's eyes widened.

"That doesn't sound like John."

"No it doesn't. And it bugs me." Decon admitted. "He meets this one girl, and he just changes so much, and-"

"Dekky?" Sarah's voice caught his attention, and she patted the spot on the couch next to her. "Please sit down."

"Sorry." Decon sitting, sitting down on the couch next to her. Sarah leaned against him, resting hands on her shoulder and her chin on her hands, and looked at him.

"Let me ask you something. Does John like this girl?" She asked.

Decon nodded. "Yeah. They started dating a few days ago."

"Have you thought that maybe John has found something else, someone else, who makes him happy? Other than fighting?" Sarah asked Decon. Decon looked down for a moment. Admittedly, he hadn't thought of that. He had always seen John as the fighter of the group, and to have that idea be torn to shreds was not something he was expecting.

Then again, Decon kicks himself now that he thinks about it, John was never the fighter before. He might've had a bit of fun, but he was more of the peacekeeper. Rex would've been the fighter, the hothead, but the strength went to John.

"No, I didn't think of that." Decon admitted. "I guess I've just had this image of him as a brawling beast ever since he got his strength. He was never the fighter before. That was Rex."

"When you explained why you each may have gotten the ability you did, maybe you misinterpreted something."

"What do you mean?" Decon asked Sarah.

"You've always been fast on your feet, so your powers are a no brainer. I think Rex's got his powers because HE's the fighter." Sarah proposed. Decon raised an eyebrow.

"How do you figure that?" He asked.

"Sure, John's may be capable of greater destruction, but Rex's seem like they are outright built for it." She answered. "Think about it. While John may be capable of destruction, Rex could wipe out an entire district in less than a minute."

Decon slowly nodded. "I guess that makes sense, but why would John get strength then?"

Sarah smiled. "Because he's always had the will to fight for his loved ones. They meant the most to him in this world. Now he's got the strength too."

Decon slowly nodded. "I never thought of that." He leaned back with a sigh. "I guess I owe John an apology. Thanks Sarah." Decon was about to stand up, Sarah quickly stopped him.

"Oh no you don't!" She said, jumping on top of him. She gave him a seductive look. "You had me all excited when you showed up on a Tuesday afternoon, and you're not leaving until you help fix it!"

It was at this point that Decon noticed something slowly causing his crotch to go damp, and he could only grin. "I love you woman." He said as he caught her in a kiss.

* * *

Christa was petting one of the horses as Big John finished the last of the work needed to at the stables. It wasn't much for Big John anyway, as all he was really doing was getting water from the lake.

In that time, Christa was facing a dilemma. John trusted her with his greatest secret, one that would pretty much guarantee he and his loved ones hunted if he ever got out. While she wasn't completely comfortable sharing her secret, she felt that she should at least give John a chance. They may have only been dating for a while, but the two had known each other a lot longer. Even if she was uncomfortable with it, she felt it was only fair that Big John knew her secret as well.

"Well, you ready to head back?" Big John asked as he finished, tossing the bucket for the water into a nearby wagon.

"I want to talk to you first." Christa said. Big John looked at her.

"What's up?" He said, sitting down on a nearby bench and picking up his shirt, which he had removed earlier along with his jacket, and using it as a washcloth. Christa stopped petting the horse and moved to sit down next to him.

"You trusted me, so it's only fair that I trust you." She said, catching John's attention.

"What do you mean?" He asked, setting down his shirt, all of his attention on her.

"You have your secret, I have mine. Just, please don't see me differently because of it." She begged, looking up at him. John furrowed his brow.

"Christa, if you aren't comfortable telling me, you don't-"

"Yes I do. You trusted me with yours, so it's only fair that I trust you." She reinforced.

"Christa-"

"Please."

John was silent for moment, looking at her pleading expression. She truly wanted him to know. He sighed.

"Alright."

Christa looked forward. "Do you know the Reiss family?"

John nodded. "Yeah. They're one of the richest family of nobles in the Walls. Or at least they were until a few days after Wall Maria fell. Weren't they murdered?"

"All but two." Christa confirmed. "Do you know that they are the royal family?"

John shook his head. "Nah. Never was one for politics." He admitted. "But what does this have to do with you?"

Christa sighed. "I grew up on a farm with my mother. I did all the work around the farm, but I never had much communication with my mom." She started. John didn't interrupt. Christa was going somewhere, and he didn't want to interrupt her. Cause whatever it was means a lot to her.

"Eventually, I read a book, and it showed a mother hugging her daughter. I tried to do the same with my mom. And she hated it."

Big John sat up straight. This already wasn't turning out too good.

"The night Shiganshina fell, my father finally showed up. It was the first time I'd ever met him. He told me who he was, and told me I'd be living with him from now on."

"Not to interrupt, but that's a good thing, right?" Big John asked. Christa shook her head.

"No. The Military Police showed up before we even got off the property." Christa told him. "This rugged man grabbed my mom, and slit her throat after my father denied any knowledge of us." Her voice cracked as she said this. "Even as she died, my mother cursed me." And the dam broke.

John wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer in order to comfort her. He really didn't know what to say, but, when words failed…

...actions are the next best thing.

"Why did she hate me so much? What did I do?!" She sobbed, the tears running down her face.

"Hey, hey, hey." He said, separating from her and looking her in the eye, his hands firmly on her shoulders. "You didn't do nothing at all. She was just someone who had no right having kids." John told her. "Her hate of you was her fault alone. It was nothing you did then, or ever."

Christa couldn't only stare at him. The look on his face, the conviction in his eyes.

He knew how she felt. And he truly believed what he had said.

"Come here. Let it out." John said softly, hugging her once more. Christa could only bury her face into John's shoulder, as she began to let out five years worth of pain.

All the torment, all the grief she had carried with her, all the self loathing and hate all came flooding out as she wailed and sobbed. John could feel the tears on his shoulder, but he didn't care at all. Christa needed him right now, and he'll sit here all night if he has to.

For the next few minutes they were like this. When Christa's sobs finally quieted down, only then did Big John let go of her. "Are you feeling better?" He asked her.

Christa nodded. "Yeah, some." She said, giving John a smile. John smiled in turn as he wiped away some tears with his thumbs.

"Good. Do you wanna stop now, or are you still determined to finish?" He asked her. Christa took a deep breath.

"I'm gonna finish." She said. Big John nodded.

"Okay. Just don't force yourself to." He said. Christa nodded.

"Anyway, they were going to kill me, but my dad told them to put me in the Survey Corps instead."

"Maybe he wanted to give you a chance to live?" John proposed. Christa smiled.

"Maybe, but I just don't feel like it. He disowned me, and sent me the Cadet Corps under the names under the name Christa Lenz with instructions to join the Scouts.

Big John's eyes widened. "Wait, so your real name isn't Christa?" She shook her head. "Then what is it?"

"Historia." She answered, her gaze down in shame.

"Historia Lenz?"

"No…" She said with a small shake of her head. John thought for a moment. If her last name wasn't Lenz, then what could it be? The only people they've talked about was her father and her mother, neither of whom she's named yet, as well as…

It clicked.

"Historia _Reiss_?" Big John asked with wide eyes. "You're part of the royal family?"

"I'm the true heir to the throne." Christa revealed. John was beginning to think her father was a piece of shit now. But John thought of something.

"Why were you so scared to tell me this?" He asked.

"I didn't want you to think I was trying to lie to you." She admitted, her gaze still down in shame.

"Goddamn, Christa, I don't care about that."

That got her attention. "W-What?" She stuttered, looking up at him.

"You've been nothing but an angel in our entire time here. You've done nothing, and told me nothing to make me doubt you."

"Really?" She asked in hope.

"Yeah! What, do you think a different name and a shocking bit of news changes anything? I don't care if your real name is Historia. You'll always be Christa to me." He said with a smile. Christa could only let a joyous smile plant itself on her face as she jumped on Big John, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Oh God, thank you!" She said, planting her lips upon his in a kiss. Big John laughed when they seperated.

"Love you too, Christa." They both just stared at each other, happiness on both of their faces.

Unfortunately, the moment was ruined by the dinner bell.

"Oh no, we'll never make it back." Christa moaned.

"I got it!" Big John said, scooping her up bridal style and taking off, Christa laughing along the way.

* * *

Decon had just made it back to the cadet grounds, on his way to the mess hall. He still had a smile on his face from his romp with Sarah, whom he made sure would not be walking straight for a few days.

'Gotta love superspeed.' He thought with a grin. It faded when He spotted Big John and Christa approaching the mess hall as well, Christa in Big John's arms, his conversation with Sarah still fresh on his mind. 'Must've been at the stables. Well, better get this out of the way now.'

"Hey, Big John!" He said catching Big John's attention as he let Christa down, a smile on both of their faces.

"Yeah, what's up man?" He asked as he and Christa came to a stop in front of him. Decon looked at Christa for a moment, before looking up at Big John.

"Um, actually, I'd rather talk to you in private." He said. Big John raised an eyebrow.

"Okay…" He looked at Christa. "How about you head on inside and find a seat, Christa. I'll be in after a bit."

Christa nodded. "Okay." They shared a kiss, before she went inside the mess hall, leaving Big John and Decon.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Big John asked.

Decon scratched the back of his neck as he spoke. "I want to apologize for the way I've been these past few months." He said, causing Big John's eyes to widen.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Big John narrowed his eyes. "What changed your mind?"

Decon sighed. "I guess I've just kinda gotten used to you as this brawling peace. I forget that you were always the peaceful one until we got our powers. And I didn't like the change, because I've grown used to it."

Big John didn't say anything.

Decon looked at Big John with a smile. "I am happy for you man. With Christa."

Big John looked at Decon for a moment, before chuckling. "Let's get inside and eat. I'm hungry."

Decon laughed. "You're always hungry. You got a bottomless stomach." Big John laughed as well.

"Says the guy who raids our fridge every time he comes over!" He said as he opened the door to the mess hall, following Decon inside.

"Hey, if Sarah won't let me eat, I have to find food somewhere!" Decon defended.

"Well, I'd appreciate it if you'd quit murdering ours!"

For the first time in months, Decon and Big John were on good terms again, and this time, nothing was gonna drive apart.

Hopefully, anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter, don't forget to kudos and comment. Especially comment, as I appreciate the feedback.

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave a kudos and a comment.


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